Press conference on social media ban in Penrith - 8 December 2025

Melissa McIntosh MP 
Shadow Minister for Communications 
Shadow Minister for Women 
Federal Member for Lindsay 

Monday, 8 December 2025 

Transcript 

Press conference – Penrith, NSW 

Topic: Social media ban; Age verification and Digital ID; Communications Minister Anika Wells’ travel expenses; Triple Zero Optus crisis; 

EO&E …  

Melissa McIntosh 

Thank you for being here in Penrith. First and foremost, I want to talk about the social media ban for under 16s which comes into effect just days away now. I’ve been warning for months now about the potential failure of this ban, where the intention is to protect Australian children from online harm; whether it’s bullying or inappropriate online content. And we all want to protect Australian children. But the platforms are being dripped in over time. Just weeks ago, we had another one, we’re hearing now the Australian kids are migrating across to platforms which haven’t been included. So essentially, they’re not off social media at all. I’ve also been expressing concern around the use of digital ID. The Minister for Communications has said that I’m dog whistling, but that is not it at all. The Coalition has been very strong that we’d no intention to enforce digital ID on Australians. Australians do not want this. So, if a platform cannot verify someone’s age using the technology of a third-party provider, they will compel Australians to use digital ID. The platforms themselves have told me this, they do not want to risk $50 million fines. A big question here is, where is that personal information of Australian’s drivers' licenses and birth certificate information being stored? It’s being stored offshore in offshore data centres. And the Minister herself could not answer how long this data will be stored for. So here we have personal, very personal, private information of Australians being stored offshore, because we know that there’s a failure rate on the age verification process. And finally, when the Minister has been out talking about this ban, she hasn’t really said much about the mental health harm it could cause young people. There have been psychologists out in the media today talking about the potential mental health issues, yet how much has the government invested in mental health of young people during this time? I think I could tell you that it’s pretty close to zero. So, we have a social media ban about to occur; no investment into the mental health of young people; platforms getting away with being included in the initial ban; and digital ID potentially being used. So, I really hope in the interests of young people across Australia that this ban works for Australian kids; but as I’ve said for months now, there are a very many lot of questions from a lot of people across this country, a lot of questions from me about this ban. Now to the second issue. As I was walking out here to speak to you today, it was broken in the media that the Minister for Communications has used taxpayer money for AFL Grand Finals for herself and her husband. I said that the Minister should never have left post during a Triple Zero crisis. This crisis hadn’t finished when she traipsed off to New York to promote a campaign that had not yet had success. Here she was talking up the social media ban as if it had already occurred and everything was wonderful. Yet back in Australia, people were suffering and the Triple Zero Optus crisis was not over. In addition to that, it has been exposed that trip cost about $100,000 in airfares for the Minister and her staff, and in addition there was around $70,000 that was spent on a promotional event at the sidelines of the UN. Since this time, there have been more costs involved, and the Minister has said that everything she has done has been within the guidelines, whether it family trips away... and I have to say as a mum, who’s a politician with kids, I understand how hard it is to be away. So having a family reunion, this is not the issue. But it is those additional expenses. The $1,000 dinner in Paris that the Minister declared that she fell asleep during; how was that money spent? How can you spend $1,000 on a dinner where you essentially fell asleep and were not doing your job? Then we had the trips with the Minister’s husband, to the Formula 1, to the cricket, and just as I’m stepping out here it’s been revealed to the AFL Grand Final as well. This has gone beyond what's acceptable within the guidelines of the IPEA which we all have to follow. This goes to the Prime Minister’s very own code of conduct for his ministers. The Prime Minister shrugged off the use of taxpayer funds for his minister. I don’t think that he could shrug off his code of conduct when ministers have to adhere to spending taxpayer’s money within expectations that Australians have, not lavishly. Not traipsing around the world with expensive dinners. The Prime Minister has his very own code of conduct, yet he has a minister that is spending taxpayer’s money like it’s confetti. I think the Prime Minister needs to stand up and let the Australian people know what he’s going to do in response to this outlandish spending of his very own minister. Questions? 

Journalist 

So, does the Minister for Communications’ spending pass the pub test in your opinion? 

Melissa McIntosh 

The Minister’s spending, the question of passing the pub test, I think that horse bolted quite some time ago, but now it’s even more serious when you have expensive trips to New York, expensive dinners. And as I said, I don’t begrudge the Minister for wanting to spend time with her children; it is a very tough job to be away from your family. But, people, Australians would love to go to the Formula 1 or to the AFL Grand Final, or indeed any of these big sporting events, but they just can’t afford it. And we are in a cost of living crisis, and it’s beyond the pub test. It’s about the Prime Minister’s very own code of conduct, which stipulates how ministers act, and how they spend taxpayers money. 

Journalist 

On the social media ban, how do you propose to have those age verifications done, if not digital ID? 

Melissa McIntosh 

I think it’s around the rushed nature of this ban, the fact that the government set its own deadline, and they had an age verification trial and within that trial it was shown up to 70% failure rates when it comes to some 15-year-olds getting past the ban. So there are risks involved, but the government seems to have ignored this information. The age verification technology should be prepared, the education campaign for families should have been better prepared, and now we are hearing that mental health organisations are not receiving a huge amount of funding to prepare young people. And there are warnings from psychologists saying that it could be a really tough time. So, it was too much spent on the PR exercise of the social media ban, I think not enough time spent on the details. This is pretty standard for this Minister; she’s not across the detail, whether it’s Optus, the social media ban or her own spending. 

Paul Kadak 

Melissa, Paul Kadak from Channel Seven, just a following up on the news today that New South Wales and South Australia will join the Federal Government in defending the High Court challenge to the social media ban. Can I first of all ask your view is of the High Court challenge being made against the ban, and also the states now joining the federal government’s side? 

Melissa McIntosh 

Well, I’m not surprised that there is a High Court challenge; and I think that it might be the first but perhaps not the last. Many young people do use social media for good. And when this ban was put in place, platforms like YouTube were not included. The Minister backtracked on that, it’s quite extraordinary that prior to an election when the government needed the votes of young people, YouTube was not included, and after the election it was. So, it’s been very hit and miss all the way along, and now to hear that there’s kids migrating across to other platforms, of course this causes issues. And in regards to the states, that’s up to them, but I’m standing here today representing the people of Australia who, if we are going to have this ban, want it to work in the interests of young people.  

Paul Kadak 

Do you support the federal government defending itself against the High Court challenge? Is that the way to deal with it? 

Melissa McIntosh 

Well that’s up to the government to do, not me and the Opposition. What I'm saying is that there are so many gaps in this ban, so many holes, so much rushed process, so much lack of detail when it comes to the ban, I’m not surprised of a High Court challenge or other court challenges down the track. 

Journalist 

Ms McIntosh, what are... the expenses that Ms Wells billed are within the rules. Do you believe the rules should be changed to be more in line with community expectations? 

Melissa McIntosh 

I think there’s the guidelines, which the Minister herself said she was within, and then there’s the public expectations which a lot of people do call the pub test, and I would welcome a review of the guidelines. It’s not always particularly clear, and sometimes it can take a lot of work to ensure that an MP is following the rules. But it goes beyond this; this isn’t about the guidelines, this is around the Prime Minister’s own ministerial code of conduct, which says that ministers should not be spending taxpayers' money which could be deemed excessive. They should be operating ethically and within expectations, so the Prime Minister should be standing up and saying, is his minister following his code of conduct? Does going to the AFL Grand Final, and taking your spouse to the Formula 1, and to the cricket, does that sit within your ministerial code of conduct? Does spending $1,000 on a meal in Paris within your ministerial code of conduct? There is a pattern of judgement issues here when it comes to this Minister, and it is time the Prime Minister didn’t brush it off, and says that she’s operating within the guidelines. This is specifically about his very own ministerial code of conduct. 

Journalist 

Do you think she should have stepped down? 

Melissa McIntosh 

I think that there needs to be a thorough look into what is going on, but the Prime Minister himself should make a call on that, and let the Australian people know whether his minister is acting within his expectations of a senior member of his team. Thank you. 

[Ends]