The federal Coalition is calling for a formal investigation into eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, saying her proposed search engine regulation has gone well beyond her mandate and now threatens Australians’ privacy and freedoms.

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Shadow Communications Minister Melissa McIntosh said the eSafety Commissioner’s attempt to force Australians to log in to search the internet was a “new level” of overreach and must be scrutinised.

“Requiring adults to log in to an account to browse the internet is taking the eSafety Commissioner's power to a new level which needs to be scrutinised,” said McIntosh.

She said while the goal of protecting children online is important, “the voices against the code cannot be ignored,” adding: “It is essential that this is balanced with a person’s right to privacy and protection of their personal freedoms.”

McIntosh criticised the fact that Inman Grant is “not an elected official, subject to the scrutiny of Parliament,” and warned that her ability to “develop, regulate and enforce her own policies” has created a system with limited accountability.

Her comments are particularly striking given the Liberal Party originally established the eSafety office under Tony Abbott in 2015, then significantly expanded its powers under Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison.

But now, the very Coalition that recently championed the office says the Australian public has had enough of what it describes as an unelected bureaucrat’s power trip.

The Coalition also accused the Albanese government of betraying voters by backflipping on its election promise to exempt YouTube from the new social media age verification laws.

“The Albanese Labor Government can change a Minister, but they cannot hide the fact they deliberately misled the public,” McIntosh said.

The Coalition’s press release stated the new code “will require search engine providers such as Google, Yahoo and Bing to implement age verification safety settings and require every individual to have an account before they can freely use a search engine”.

The rules are set to take effect on 10 December, with fines of up to $49.5 million for non-compliance. Under the plan, users under 16 will still be able to use YouTube in a logged-out state but cannot hold an account.