Premier Peter Malinauskas pleads for Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton to pass social media age ban

Premier Peter Malinauskas has issued a written plea to federal leaders to pass an under-16s social media ban.

Premier Peter Malinauskas has directly pleaded with Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton to urgently pass an under-16s social media ban, in the face of opposition from senators including Alex Antic.

In a letter jointly addressed to the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader, Mr Malinauskas urges them to pass laws “as an issue of the utmost urgency” this week, as federal parliament sits for possibly the final time before an election early next year.

Mr Dutton responded with an attack on Mr Albanese, saying the Premier “stood up when the Prime Minister wouldn’t” and had displayed “national leadership on this national issue”.

Conservative South Australian Liberal Senator Alex Antic is likely to cross the floor to oppose the ban, having signalled he will consider amendments but they are unlikely to change his stance.

Parents who have lost children to the evils of social media have warned politicians they will have blood on their hands if they vote against the bill to ban under 16s from the online platforms.

Premier Peter Malinauskas speaks on October 10 at the Social Media Summit at ICC Darling Harbour Sydney. Picture: NewsWire / John Appleyard

Mr Malinauskas, who in May proposed nation-leading legislation for age restrictions on social media accounts, told the federal Labor and Liberal leaders it was “time for mainstream political parties to work together for the common good” in the face of opposition from the Greens and One Nation.

“As the leaders of the two major political parties in this country, there is an opportunity to protect our children and, importantly, support Australian parents,” he says in the letter.

“As we enter the final sitting week of the year, this is an issue of the utmost urgency which cannot be kicked into next year or the next parliament.

“The time to act is now and I trust that both of you will by delivering the votes to pass this legislation in this sitting week.”

Mr Dutton applied further pressure to Mr Albanese by insisting he looked forward to working with Mr Malinauskas after the election on nuclear energy, which the Premier has supported but deemed uneconomic for Australia.

“I look forward to continuing to work with him after the next election on important issues like energy. I want South Australia to be an economic powerhouse. As Prime Minister working with Premier Malinauskas, I think we can create jobs and prosperity for South Australia,” Mr Dutton told The Advertiser.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton during Question Time at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

In the letter, Mr Malinauskas brands the Greens and One Nation respectively as “the parties of the far left and the far right”, saying their opposition was regrettable.

He says the federal parliament has “a significant opportunity to protect our children and support parents by passing legislation to implement a minimum age for social media”.

“When we see products doing children harm, whether it be drugs, cigarettes or alcohol, governments have a role to play. Social media is no different,” Mr Malinauskas says.