eSafety Commissioner hints at departure as tech regulator faces power gap with giants

Julie Inman Grant, the federal eSafety Commissioner, told reporters in Brisbane that she may leave the post when her term concludes at the beginning of 2027, suggesting that new leadership would be beneficial for the emerging "digital duty of care" era. Speaking alongside Labor ministers Tanya Plibersek and Anika Wells, she unveiled a suite of twelve grant-funded initiatives targeting technology-facilitated abuse, with a $3.5 million allocation for programs that educate women and girls on recognizing and responding to online harm, as well as projects for boys and young men.

Grant reaffirmed that there are no plans to police AI chatbots under the existing under-16 social media ban, but called for stronger regulation by the Albanese government. She warned that the global tech landscape is becoming increasingly geopolitical, with a stark imbalance between the wealth and stealth of major tech firms and the limited capacity of regulators like Australia’s eSafety Commission. The commissioner stressed that despite this asymmetry, the agency will continue to take action, noting AI giants' reluctance to self-regulate. The funding aims to curb misogynistic content that can quickly influence young users and spill over into real-world harm.