Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

This meeting has been convened in the context of the committee's continued pre-legislative scrutiny on the general scheme of the online safety and media regulation Bill. I welcome the Australian eSafety Commissioner, Ms Julie Inman Grant. She is joined by her colleague, Mr. Toby Dagg, executive manager in the investigations branch of the eSafety Commissioner. Both of our guests are joining us remotely in committee room 4 via Microsoft Teams. The format of today's meeting is such that I will invite our witnesses to make their opening statement, which will be followed by questions from members of the committee. As the witnesses are probably aware, the committee may publish the opening statement on its website following our meeting.

Before I invite the witnesses to make their opening statement, which is limited to three minutes, I want to advise them about parliamentary privilege. Witnesses are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice that they should not criticise or make charges against any person or entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable, or otherwise engage in speech that might be regarded as damaging to the good name of that person or entity. Therefore, if their statements are potentially defamatory in respect of an identifiable person or entity, they will be directed to discontinue their remarks.

Witnesses participating in this session from a jurisdiction outside of the State are advised that they should be mindful of the domestic law and how to apply to the evidence they give.

We are delighted to have the witnesses with us and I thank them for taking the time to do so. As my colleague, Senator Malcolm Byrne, said earlier, we are having an Australian summer these days and we do not know how to cope with the heat but we have plenty of air conditioning so we are all fine.

I call on Commissioner Inman Grant to deliver her opening statement.