22nd Jun 2021, 10:21 PM – Senate Online Safety Bill 2021 - Second Reading - Ordinary emotional reactions

The majority voted in favour of amendments introduced by the Australian Labor Party, which means they would now form part of the bill. The bill, as amended, now needs to return to the House of Representatives, where our MPs will decide whether they agree to them.

Amendment text

(1) Clause 5, page 13 (lines 15 to 17), omit the definition of serious harm to a person's mental health, substitute:

serious harm to a person's mental health includes:

(a) serious psychological harm; and

(b) serious distress;

but does not include mere ordinary emotional reactions such as those of only distress, grief, fear or anger.

What was the original definition?

The amendment replaces the following definition:

serious harm to a person’s mental health includes:

(a) serious psychological harm; and

(b) serious distress.

That is, the original definition did not include the statement "but does not include mere ordinary emotional reactions such as those of only distress, grief, fear or anger."