E&OE TRANSCRIPT
Topics: Stop it at the Start campaign, nuclear reactors
ASHLEIGH GILLON, HOST: A refreshed campaign is aiming to arm more families with the tools they need to combat disrespect that can contribute to misogyny and abuse. A new interactive platform the Algorithm of Disrespect is the centrepiece of the new Stop it at the Start campaign. It presents a social media feed of an average young person and prepares parents and caregivers to have some meaningful discussions with their kids. Joining us now is the Social Services Minister, Amanda Rishworth. Minister, thanks for joining us. Tell us a bit more about this campaign and do you think that most parents actually have much of an understanding about what is really on their kids social media feeds?
AMANDA RISHWORTH, MINISTER FOR SOCIAL SERVICES: I think what we've seen through the research in developing this campaign is that there is a disconnect between what parents are seeing on their social media and what their children are seeing. I think that more and more the research is showing that what we're seeing is diverging. What a young person is seeing is increasingly becoming very disrespectful, highly aggressive towards women and increasing levels of misogyny, but also actually directly condoning violence towards women. This is a really difficult thing and what it has the potential to do is take us backwards in the real respect that has been generated over time between men and women, and boys and girls and between the genders. So this campaign is aimed at trying to alert adults, particularly parents, that there is this disconnect and encourage them to become more familiar with it, but also to take steps about how to have those conversations.
ASHLEIGH GILLON: And is just having a conversation enough because when we talk about stopping it at the start, as this campaign says, some would argue that that really should mean stopping at the source. How realistic do you think it is to ban social media use for young people? And how committed is your government to going down that path to implement that ban for those under the age of 16?
AMANDA RISHWORTH: Look, I think you're absolutely right. There is no one silver bullet that actually addresses this. Of course, looking at our age of assurance trial and looking at social media, and having age limits on social media, we've got to remember there already are age limits on social media. We need to enforce them. That is a critical part of the age of assurance. But we also know that there are often ways to bombard young people with these messages. There is ways to get around it. And so this is another tool in the armoury to have a counter-influence. If we think about some of these influences, like Andrew Tate as just one example, we've got boys and young men saying they look up to him. Now, his views are abhorrent. We need to tackle this through the design of our social media and other technology, but we also need counter-influences and this is about starting to support parents to be a counter-influence in their children's lives.
ASHLEIGH GILLON: Minister, I did want to get your reaction to the Coalition's policy unveiled today to do with the nuclear sites around the country. Your home state of South Australia, we know it has an abundance of uranium, it's embraced building and hosting AUKUS nuclear powered submarines. Why shouldn't a nuclear reactor in Port Augusta be the next step along South Australia's clean energy journey as Peter Dutton is proposing?
AMANDA RISHWORTH: What I want to do is keep the lights on in South Australia. What I want for South Australians is to have the lowest energy prices possible. What I know from, what is probably a half-cooked proposal out there, is that these things are going to be too slow, too expensive and may not be built at all. And so for me, my focus is on making sure that South Australians get reliable energy, that they get cheap energy, and this plan, with all its missing details, does not deliver that. My concern is, when you see the CSIRO, and this is not costings put out by the Opposition because they haven't done that yet, is that the cost will be borne by taxpayers and by consumers. The best modelling possible has been eight times that of reliable renewable energy backed up by something like gas. And so what you've got is a plan that just doesn't deliver. My opposition to this is the fact that it will cost both taxpayers way more, it'll cost consumers more, it's risky if it gets built at all. And of course that it won't keep the lights on because what the Coalition said is they will abandon the investment in renewable energy, which we've seen investors start taking an interest in, in this country. So, my opposition is that it's just not going to deliver the energy needs of Australia and leave South Australians high and dry.
ASHLEIGH GILLON: Well, the Coalition is saying it will do it alongside a renewables programme as well. But we are getting a very clear view there from you Minister, and your colleagues today, as to where this debate is going to hit next week when parliament resumes. Really appreciate you making the time for us, as always. Thanks so much.
AMANDA RISHWORTH: Thank you.