The Coalition finds voice in One Nation battle and starts new free speech fight

The dividing line in Australia's next big fight over the internet is not whether online harm exists, but who gets to define it.

As fresh battle lines were drawn up over Labor's proposed digital duty of care this week, another ongoing war entered a new phase.

The escalating stoush between Andrew Hastie and Pauline Hanson got personal after a One Nation video branded the Liberal frontbencher and former SAS officer a traitor.

Hastie viewed it as a slight on all veterans and challenged the One Nation leader to take responsibility for material her party endorsed and authorised.

But the opposition leader has been eager to stress it was a question of "morality" more than "legality".

That distinction was central to Taylor's reasoning for why he could call for the video to be removed in the same breath as criticising Labor's duty of care proposal as a "blank cheque for political censorship".

Many inside Labor believe the opposition's outcry is instead driven by a desire to "out One Nation, One Nation" and woo conservative voters.

Communications Minister Anika Wells has been at pains to stress the laws are about shifting more responsibility onto tech companies to anticipate and reduce foreseeable harms created by their services.

The Coalition has agreed children need protection but, scarred by the mis- and disinformation laws killed off last term, are convinced the duty of care will become a "backdoor" to censorship.

Their main concern is the ministerial discretion embedded in the proposed laws to add more categories of harm to the duty of care.

Labor may ultimately have to clarify these powers, but senior figures believe the Coalition would simply find some other reason to remain opposed.

The government was disgusted on Thursday when word got around that Taylor had told his partyroom colleagues to be careful with their criticism lest Wells hold a press conference with parents who blame social media for the deaths of their children.

Wells herself took aim at Taylor later that day, accusing the opposition leader of heckling her in Question Time about "hiding behind grieving parents".

"He's wrong on that, this government proudly stands with grieving parents," she thundered back.