Prime Minister Scott Morrison said legislation requiring Facebook and Twitter to reveal the identities of trolls would be introduced in the country’s parliament this week.

He said: “The rules that exist in the real world must exist in the digital and online world. The online world should not be a wild west where bots and bigots and trolls and others are anonymously going around [… where they can] harm people and hurt people, harass them and bully them.”

The law will bring in a complaints mechanism so that users can ask the platforms to remove content. If it is not withdrawn they can force the platform to reveal the user in court so they can be sued in defamation.

Mr Morrison said social media firms had “better move quick” as they would need an email address and phone number for all users.

“I’m telling you, going forward, if they don’t tell us who they are, we’re coming after them. [Social media companies] have created the space and they need to make it safe. If they won’t, we will make them through laws such as this.”