Job advertised for social media ban despite law not being written

Thursday, 23 April 2026

A job has been advertised to help lead the delivery of the social media ban for under 16s, despite the law not yet being written.

The fulltime senior role - Programme Implementation Director - was advertised by the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) at the start of the week but was taken down on Wednesday.

The Free Speech Union responded with serious concerns, saying the role confirmed officials were already building the enforcement architecture for the policy.

The hire would lead the establishment of the first phase of the operational service model for the under‑16 social media restrictions.

This would shape how the ban would function in practice and ensure it can be delivered effectively within the required timeframes.

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They would lead early engagement with social media providers and provide reporting and advice to ministers and senior executives.

“Before Parliament has even seen a bill, the machinery to enforce it is already being built. That should concern anyone who believes in the democratic process and accountable government,” said Free Speech Union CEO Jillaine Heather.

“It appears the Government isn’t just putting the cart before the horse… it’s already hired a driver, built the road, and started charging tolls before anyone’s agreed where we’re going.”

She said international experience showed blanket bans were easily circumvented.

The eSafety commissioner recently found many children in Australia still had social media accounts following that country’s ban, and five social media companies were under investigation.

The union warned that the risk was in the enforcement mechanisms required to make such a ban work.

“What we are seeing overseas is workarounds, overreach, and unintended consequences.”

In Australia, similar restrictions had already been widely bypassed by young users, raising serious questions about whether such policies achieved their stated aims.

A DIA spokesperson said it was recruiting on a fixed-term basis to support developing regulatory options.

“The Minister of Education is leading work on considering a social media minimum age as part of the work on reducing online harm.“

The listing was removed briefly to adjust wording in the job description that was not accurate, the spokesperson said.

The Government hopes to introduce legislation closely modelled on Australia’s ban before the November election.

National MP Catherine Wedd introduced it as a member’s bill, while Education Minister Erica Stanford was tasked with exploring options to bring it to cabinet.

It does not have the support of ACT, who initiated an inquiry into the Education and Workforce Committee after it recommended the ban be introduced.

Stanford said work was underway and the Government would have more to say soon.