Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Innovation) Share this | Hansard source

Having heard the minister's responses, it really concerns me that he is continuing to assert that the criminal regime around the country is adequate to deal with this issue. I'm very mindful of the recent social media campaigns, the #MeToo campaign, which put in a public place the level of embedded abuse that is part of the cultural practices of our time. I think it goes to some of the points that Senator Steele-John has just made. The reality is that here today in this chamber, with no further delay, with no more weasel words, the government could take a position to criminalise the sharing of intimate images against someone's will. That's it. It's not like it's a big risk for the government to do this. Four out of five Australians are saying, 'Good on you, you should do it.' We know that Australians want this. We all should know, if we're paying attention to the cultural practices of our time, that a criminal regime is what is called for and what is needed. But still we have these weasel words, still we have this delay, still we have this very passive description of the current structures being adequate. In our view they certainly are not. I have a couple of questions for the minister directly. To what extent, Minister, do you believe a civil penalty scheme will assist the eSafety Commissioner in prosecuting rogue operators, including overseas operators?