Luke Howarth (Petrie, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) the easy access of violent sexually explicit material online poses a risk to our children's wellbeing; and

(b) authoritative research has linked regular consumption of pornography by adolescents depicting violence with increased degrees of sexually aggressive behaviour; and

(2) calls on our community to work together to:

(a) increase awareness that exposure to graphic images can influence children's attitude towards sexual behaviour;

(b) encourage open discussions within families; and

(c) utilise the services of the eSafety Commissioner's online iparent website to increase awareness of how families can keep safe online.

As individuals in this place, I am sure all members would agree that we do not always agree, but, when it comes to protecting the youngest Australians, our solidarity gives rise to a powerful opportunity to effect change. We unite because we put Australian children before politics. I thank you for the opportunity to bring this motion that notes that 'the easy access of violent sexually explicit material online poses a risk to our children's wellbeing'. It is a risk that at any level is uncomfortably large because the statistics do not represent lost earnings or productivity; the statistics represent child victims.

Technology is a wonderful thing, but it is a movable feast that can be harnessed for good as well as bad. As child advocate Hetty Johnston says, when it comes to technology, there is darkness in the wow. She offers an analogy that is like throwing a Molotov cocktail at my ever-flickering protective parenting instinct. She says giving your child access to technology without supervision is akin to dropping them off at King's Cross at midnight, picking them up in the morning and expecting them not to have been exposed to any harm. I think about how difficult absolute supervision is, given where, when and how often my children, my three sons, and our children, Australian children, access the internet, while at the same time realising that the associated challenge, no matter how difficult it is, is no excuse.

It is difficult to get solid figures for the size of the online pornography industry. How much of it is there? How big is the industry? Paid access is set to yield some $100 billion a year—that is, almost 25 per cent of the federal budget!—but roughly 80 to 90 per cent of users are accessing material for free. You get a good idea of its size by extrapolating that out. If 10 to 20 per cent represents $100 billion, putting a price on free access would make it a $1 trillion industry.

When you consider that authoritative research has linked regular consumption by adolescents of pornography depicting violence with an increased degree of sexually aggressive behaviour, the potential for harm and the reach of its impact become obvious. Many a researcher can point to data that shows a correlation, for example, between pornography and a shift in expectations, pressure and acceptance of coercive or forced sex—that is, a correlation between consumption of pornography and the normalising of rape.

Despite the potential for serious consequences, inappropriate pornographic content has become impossible for our children to avoid. My research suggests that a filter that will effectively shield our kids online and protect them from harm does not exist. Predators devote their lives to cracking such things, so it is unlikely to have the intended consequence of protecting children. Of lesser concern, but a consequence nevertheless, is that filtering is likely to inadvertently block adult access to legal content—but that is a completely different debate.

There is no easy fix. Our approach needs to be multifaceted. I am proud to support the introduction of measures that target revenge porn and I welcome discussion of what is known as Carly's law, which offers tools that enable us to act against online predators sooner. I call on the community to work together to increase awareness that exposure to graphic images can influence children's attitudes towards sexual behaviour. I also encourage open discussions within families. I know that when I spoke about it with one of my sons, who was 14, it was all a bit late. He said, 'Oh, Dad, I've seen all that—seen it at school.' I had missed the boat.

Ms Marino interjecting—

The member for Forrest would know. It is really important that parents in my electorate talk to their young children. Bravehearts actually say that you can start as young as three—which seems extremely young, but it is important to put it out there. I encourage open discussion within families. Make yourselves familiar, as members here on both sides of the House, with providers of advice and assistance so that you can connect families in your electorates with information and services that are available to support them. The organisation Porn Harms Kids have an enormous bank of information, and their website is pornharmskids.org.au. Utilise the services of the safety commissioner's online iParent website as well at esafety.gov.au. (Time expired)

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