Anthony Albanese has questioned whether or not the isolation of Covid-19 exacerbated points round social media and social cohesion, in a wide-ranging new podcast episode.
Showing on the Australian Nationwide College’s Democracy Sausage podcast with Mark Kenny to mirror on his first two years as Prime Minister, Mr Albanese spoke extensively about his issues about social media and the work Labor is doing to sort out the rise of on-line harms.
He mentioned social media had allowed folks to say essentially the most “reprehensible, violent, threatening” issues, together with to himself, that they might by no means say to somebody’s face, with little to no consequence.
“That’s of actual concern, and I feel that it requires an actual debate opening up,” he mentioned.
“I feel the controversy about our youngest Australians and entry to social media will broaden in a short time right into a debate about social media typically, what the impression of the web is, and to a debate about our society.
“One of many issues I’ve been questioning about is whether or not folks’s isolation throughout COVID, the place we misplaced the capability, for well being causes, to have that social interplay, whether or not that exacerbated a few of these points that may happen with isolation.”
He mentioned he believed people want social interplay, and “a few of that’s misplaced”, which may push folks “in direction of extra excessive positions”.
Mr Albanese lamented how social media had contributed to a “worrying state” of political discourse and polarisation, like what had been skilled in the course of the Voice to Parliament referendum debate.
“The absurdity of a debate over how lengthy the Uluru Assertion from the Coronary heart which arose, was simply not factual. However folks have been ready to put in writing it, as a result of they thought that superior their trigger,” he mentioned.
“And that’s disappointing, as a result of it disrupts the capability to have reasoned debate.”
Talking of his “imaginative and prescient” of the long run, Mr Albanese mentioned he needed Australia “to be optimistic” and have a “wholesome society”.
“It must be (one) that we construct collectively, and one that’s extra cooperative. One that’s, one thing I mentioned on election night time was that kindness is a power, not a weak point, and one the place we recognise that as nicely,” he mentioned.
On Peter Dutton, Mr Albanese mentioned the Opposition Chief can be “outlined by what he’s towards”, pointing to a “relentless negativity”.
“I feel it’s unlucky that increasingly, I feel Peter Dutton has tried to be a pacesetter, who himself has conceded his precedence has been protecting his occasion room collectively, a room that has shifted additional and additional to the precise and turn out to be increasingly conservative,” he mentioned.
“He’s a bit like a Tony Abbott tribute band together with his group. I feel he leads a very unusual group.”
Requested about his personal group, Mr Albanese spruiked the very fact there had been no modifications to his cupboard since his authorities was sworn in – regardless of mounting requires Immigration Minister Andrew Giles and House Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil to be shuffled out of their portfolios after quite a lot of high-profile bungles.
“I feel the steadiness of the group has been an actual power, and I can’t recall any new authorities having the identical ministry in place two years after they have been appointed,” he mentioned.
