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Coalition softens TikTok rhetoric as Trump works to secure a US deal

The Coalition has softened its rhetoric on TikTok after months of urging Labor to follow the US push to force ByteDance to divest or face a ban.

John Buckley
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The revised language marks a change in the Coalition’s rhetoric on TikTok, which has been led by opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson and persistently called on Labor to coordinate its policy approach to TikTok with the US. AAP/Mick Tsikas.

For the past year, Liberal home affairs spokesperson James Paterson has been outspoken in calling on Labor to follow the United States in its bid to force ByteDance to divest from TikTok or face a ban.

But now, as the Trump administration tries to facilitate a transaction for TikTok's American operations, and with the Coalition eyeing a return to government, the senator has notably reined in his language around the global short-form video platform.

The Coalition has now broadly aligned its messaging on Australia's TikTok policy approach with Labor — emphasising a need to seek the advice of Australia's security and intelligence agencies over calls to coordinate policy with the US.

“A Dutton Coalition government would seek the advice of our security and intelligence agencies on any action required to protect Australians from foreign-controlled social media platforms,” Paterson told Capital Brief.