The Canberra Playbook Podcast

Australia's communications minister Anika Wells joins Amanda Copp for the debut episode of POLITICO's Canberra Playbook Podcast, revealing where she's prepared to compromise to get her landmark digital duty of care legislation through Parliament. Wells discusses negotiations with the Coalition and Greens, the limits of ministerial powers and why tech companies must take greater responsibility for online harms. She forcefully rejects accusations of censorship.

POLITICO Australia editor Ryan Heath also joins Amanda to unpack the government's controversial plans to overhaul trust taxation and introduce domestic gas reservations. Plus, Wells reflects on her global influence, raising children in the digital age and the pressures of baking birthday cakes for twins.

Chapters

00:00 – Meet Amanda Copp and Ryan Heath

01:37 – Labor's controversial plan to tax trusts at 30 percent

02:51 – Australia's gas reservation plan and how it compares globally

04:18 – The digital duty of care: Australia's next big tech crackdown

04:58 – Anika Wells on negotiating with the Coalition and Greens

07:00 – Ministerial powers, online harms and the Grok controversy

08:59 – Lessons from Australia's teen social media ban and the future of online safety

10:35 – Global influence, parenting and birthday cake diplomacy

13:30 – What Wells' comments mean for the bill's chances in Parliament

Give us your feedback: Send us a WhatsApp message to +61 494 380 487 or an email at [email protected]

Subscribe to Canberra Playbook: Get POLITICO's reporting and analysis of Australian politics delivered to your inbox: ⁠⁠https://www.politico.com/newsletters/canberra-playbook⁠⁠

Learn more about Anika Wells: Her ministerial work and her parliamentary career. ​​⁠⁠https://www.anikawells.com.au/⁠⁠

Welcome to the Canberra Playbook Podcast, POLITICO’s early morning guide to what’s driving Australian politics — and why it matters. The Canberra Playbook Podcast is hosted by Amanda Copp. Each 15-minute episode Monday, Wednesday and Friday, brings listeners two conversations: a political interview that goes beyond the soundbites, and a conversation with a journalist from POLITICO's global newsroom. Together, we’ll take you behind the scenes of Australia’s power shifts and how these moves connect Australia to the U.S., Europe and the world. Clear, conversational and grounded in reporting, the Canberra Playbook Podcast brings you the people and context behind the day’s biggest stories