Federal Labor MP Ash Ambihaipahar has urged the Australian Parliament to take stronger steps against online racism, warning that repeated exposure to racial abuse on social media could influence how young Australians view acceptable behaviour.
The Member for Barton raised the issue during a 90-second address in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, using her own experiences of online abuse to support calls for a stronger digital duty of care and expanded powers for the eSafety Commissioner.
Ambihaipahar, the first Tamil and first Papua New Guinean elected to the Federal Parliament, said racist comments regularly appeared on her social media accounts because of the colour of her skin. While she said she had developed the resilience to deal with such abuse, she was more concerned about the impact those comments could have on younger followers.
She said online behaviour does not exist in isolation and can shape attitudes towards other people. Ambihaipahar argued that allowing racist comments to spread unchecked risks making such conduct appear ordinary, particularly to young people who regularly encounter social media content.
The federal MP said some of the abuse directed towards her included messages telling her to leave Australia. She also described comments that attempted to dismiss her views simply because of her race, saying she was not personally concerned about dealing with the attacks but remained worried about their wider consequences.
Her main concern was the effect repeated exposure could have on young Australians who follow public figures online. She warned that seeing racist comments repeatedly could lead some young users to believe such behaviour is simply part of normal online interaction.
Ambihaipahar also pointed to the possibility of automated accounts contributing to the problem, questioning what kind of content young people may encounter in less visible areas of social media where harmful material can be more difficult to monitor.
Her comments come amid an ongoing national debate over the responsibilities of social media platforms and whether existing regulatory frameworks provide sufficient protection against harmful online content.
Despite her criticism of online abuse, Ambihaipahar said she did not want social media to lose its positive role. She said digital platforms can provide space for diverse viewpoints, journalism, entertainment and creative industries while helping musicians, venues and small businesses connect with audiences.
The MP said the goal should be to ensure the online environment remains a place for connection and constructive engagement rather than allowing it to become a space where racism and hatred are normalised.
Ambihaipahar backed stronger regulatory measures, saying she looked forward to the introduction of a digital duty of care and greater powers for the eSafety Commissioner. She argued that stronger protections could help create a safer online environment without removing the benefits that social media provides to Australian communities.
Her parliamentary intervention adds to growing calls for greater accountability across the digital environment, particularly around the responsibility of platforms to address harmful material and protect younger users from repeated exposure to online abuse.
