One of Scott Morrison's assistant ministers has admitted using a Facebook page under a pseudonym while being questioned about the Government's plans to stamp out online bullying.
Senator Amanda Stoker, the Assistant Minister to the Attorney-General, said when she first came to parliament in 2018 she changed her personal Facebook account to use her first name followed by her middle name, rather than her surname.
'That was just so my children's privacy could be protected,' she told Sky News Australia on Monday.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sunday announced new laws to reduce online bullying and trolling.
Under the proposal, users will be able to demand the platform take down content that defames, bullies or attacks them.
If the platform fails to comply, there will be a court process where the user can demand to know the name of the person who posted the offensive material with a view to suing them.
Senator Stoker said she wasn't against the principal of anonymous accounts but said they must not be used for trolling.
'If you do the wrong thing with it then it should be possible for you to still be held accountable for that behaviour,' she said.
'If I used my account that is not using my full legal name and I used it to defame someone terribly then it should be the case that the person I've defamed can go to Facebook and say ''I need the real identity behind this so I can sue her in defamation'' because that kind of transparency is necessary for people to exercise their legal rights.'
Announcing his proposal on Sunday, Mr Morrison said he was particularly worried about the impact of social media on Australia children.
