Kate Ellis (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Education) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the Enhancing Online Safety for Children Bill 2014. As outlined by our shadow minister, the opposition will be supporting this legislation which has been brought to the House. I think it is incredibly important that we as a parliament try and keep up with advances in technology and the impact it is having on our community. Nowhere is that more true than when we are talking about the impact on children.

To say we are living in the age of technology is an understatement; technology has changed the way we work and the way we live. Those of you who, like me, would feel entirely lost without your smartphone will know this. While there is no denying the many benefits of advancements in technology, more than ever we are acutely aware of the risks and challenges that come with these emerging technologies, and how we, as policymakers, respond to them.

Anecdotally, we know that children are exposed to technology younger than ever. Anyone who has seen the hypnotic pull of a device for a toddler will understand that our children will have a distinct experience as digital natives, and that by the time they reach school they are likely to be adept users of technology. I am often shocked—and indeed embarrassed—when visiting primary schools, and even childcare centres, when I see children latching onto technology and embracing it. The things they can do with computers I know I can only dream about, and I can only imagine that this is going to grow and grow.

We know that by the time these children reach school they are likely to be not just adept users of technology; alongside their pen and paper, they are likely to be also using a mouse and computer. As a result of this revolution, children are not only comfortable with technology at a younger age; they are fluent. This is consistently reinforced by research. Statistics from the Australian Communications and Media Authority show that 95 per cent of eight- to 11-year-olds had accessed the internet in the previous month, across multiple internet-enabled devices, with 45 per cent of this age group using social networking sites. This is not something we necessarily need to be afraid of; rather, we need to make sure our children are equipped with the skills and tools to navigate the opportunities and risks of modern technology.

In an increasingly connected world, technology has broken down barriers and equipped our next generations with new opportunities for learning. There are an untold number of advantages which they can embrace. I am lucky enough to see the influence of this in the classroom, with teachers harnessing new tools to engage students and create vibrant learning experiences. There are also countless new opportunities for regional and remote students to be interconnected in a way that we have not previously seen.

In particular, the advent of the internet has been fundamental in changing the way we communicate and view information. Children are incredibly connected and social; the online world is intrinsically woven to their everyday life. Connecting with peers is no longer limited to school hours and the occasional play date. With social networking, conversations are no longer limited to the schoolyard; they are taken into the home. The flipside of this is that, where generations past might have been able to leave bullying behind at the school gates when they went home each day, now kids take it into their homes with their smartphone, with their internet access, with their social media. There is no way to say stop, and there is no way that they can turn it off at the end of the school day.

That is why we need tools to protect children and it is why we need parliaments to stay ahead of the challenges which are emerging. We know that offline and online worlds are no longer distinct and young people see technology as a vital part of their identity. The dynamics of this should not be underestimated; children are online more; they are forming relationships but they are also being exposed to the risks which come with the online environment. Most commonly, we think of aspects such as concerns of privacy, cyberbullying, inappropriate content and unwanted contact. Anything that we can do to protect children from these risks is a welcome step forward, and that is why we will be supporting this legislation.

Bullying, whether overt or hidden, is an insidious challenge in our school system. In my role as shadow minister for education, I am acutely aware of the need to strengthen anti-bullying mechanisms, and cyberbullying is absolutely no different. We have already heard from other speakers—and I note the previous speakers' contributions of some of the really frightening aspects which are occurring and which Australian children are being exposed to today as a result of cyberbullying.

One study conducted by the Australian Communications and Media Authority found that all children and young people who took part in the research aged eight to 17 had experienced some cyberbullying personally—having either taken part in it, seen it or had it happen to themselves. The study said:

To some degree cyberbullying and bullying in general was an accepted part of children and young people's lives. Cyberbullying was accepted as an inherent part of the online social experience. As a result, children may feel like they can't escape from a bully.

We can talk about trolling on the internet. Some of us who engage in social media see it ourselves from time to time. But we are not talking about adults engaging with one another; we are actually talking about children who are being exposed to it constantly. The impact that that has on young people, on their development and on their confidence is truly frightening.

By regarding the internet as such a vital part of their identity, many young people can now accept unacceptable behaviour just to stay online. They accept that it is just part of their existence today. I am really saddened by this—that children are choosing technology over their mental health and welfare, and that they should have to make such a choice to begin with.

The repercussions of bullying, online and face-to-face, are all too real and they are extremely serious. Quite often individuals who are targeted online also experience face-to-face bullying. But it is also important to recognise what makes cyberbullying unique and particularly dangerous. Bullies online can be masked, can be anonymous and can be fuelled by a large audience. In addition, the 24/7 nature of social media can add pressure; it can be hard to ignore a notification when it lights up on your phone and even harder if you know that something unkind is likely behind the screen. It can be hard for anybody, let alone a teenager who is already going through so many transitions, so many changes in their life, to know that there might be a discussion taking place about them, that there might be unkind remarks being made, that there might be gossip and criticisms that are being exchanged about them and to not have a look at it, to not take it to heart. This is the Australia, this is the world that young people are growing up in today. It is right that this parliament does absolutely everything we can to ensure that we give them some protection. It is also important that we work with young people to build up resilience. It is important that we work with young people to let them understand the nature of the internet and the nature of the debates which they are engaging in.

In government, Labor was committed to eliminating all forms of bullying. In 2010, Labor established the Joint Select Committee on Cyber-Safety as part of its commitment to investigate and improve cyber safety measures, releasing a report with 32 recommendations each of which was endorsed by the Labor government.

Labor established the Safe Schools Hub as a one-stop shop of information and resources to ensure that schools, parents and specialists could provide the support to students they need to ensure safe and supportive environments. Of course we also committed $8 million to help stop homophobia and create more inclusive school communities, because we know that at every level bullying needs to be stamped out, and because we know that there is much more that needs to be done.

This bill is not the silver bullet. This bill, sadly, is not going to end all of these challenges and it is not going to mean that the young people of tomorrow do not still have to face these all too real criticisms and challenges. But we do acknowledge that it is a step along the way and, as such, as a constructive opposition we will not be standing in the way of it.

We know that at the heart of any policy approach should be the goal to build well equipped digital citizens who have the skills and resilience to navigate online risks. We know that equipping our children with these skills means equipping our parents, our schools and our community with the skills to support them. Sometimes this is a part of the challenge. We need to be not just talking to young people about these risks; we actually need to be talking to the people who did not necessarily grow up online, for who it is not a part of their second nature to know how social media works or how online communities interact. We also need to be talking to parents because it is the parents in those households who can keep an eye over what is happening online, who can monitor their child's online engagement and who can support their children when they need them and when they see the worst elements of the internet first-hand.

The importance of a truly multi-faceted approach should not be underestimated. Labor is committed to doing all we can to combat online child bullying. We acknowledge that the Enhancing Online Safety for Children Bill 2014 backs up the laws that exist in every state and territory which cover all forms of bullying. We will be encouraging the government to continue working with the community, working with the states and territories, working particularly with our schools and with our parent support groups to continually build up the arsenal that we have to tackle these challenges to make sure that tomorrow's young people, the people who are going through school with the sort of technology that we could never ever have imagined when we were in the classroom, have all of the support that they need.

Sadly, this legislation will not dissolve cyberbullying from being an issue but we should not become complacent. Any step to combat bullying in any form is a welcome step, and that is why I am happy to add my contribution today to support this bill in the parliament.

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