Lucy Wicks (Robertson, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise in support of this very important motion moved by the Member for Petrie, which deals with an issue that at some stage could impact almost every single family, including my own, in my electorate on the Central Coast. The motion outlines the serious issues around accessing explicit material online, and the impact that it can have on adolescents in particular. It describes some of the approaches that we—our communities, and together as a nation—need to use to tackle this challenge. The first approach is to encourage open discussion within families. The second is for families to be aware of the resources and networks that are there to help them.

There is no doubt that this is an important issue that strikes a nerve in my community. A number of constituents in my community have raised this with me. Joanne from North Gosford wrote to me, deeply concerned about how sexually explicit content online could pose a risk to kids' wellbeing. Anthony from Mangrove Creek agreed, and added that the fact that almost everyone seems to have a portable internet device, carried and controlled in ever greater numbers by children, simply magnifies this problem. Drago and Linda, in Umina Beach, told me about the dilemma that even if a small number of children retain access to pornography on their mobile phones, they can still unfortunately show it to their friends. They wrote to me and they said, 'It's therefore nearly impossible for parents to protect their children.' It certainly may be increasingly difficult and challenging, but I certainly hope that it is not impossible. When it comes to the protection and care of our families, we need to do everything we can to support one another. So I am pleased to say that we are seeing an outstanding response from families and teachers on the Central Coast, who are working together to help tackle this issue.

In a few weeks' time, a cyber awareness forum is being held at the Mingara Recreation Club at Tumbi Umbi. The forum will ask and try to answer a number of key questions: Firstly, do you know what your children are up to? Secondly, do you know the consequences of online actions? And, thirdly, do you know how to protect your children? The event is being run by the Central Coast Council of P&Cs, alongside NSW Police Central Coast and with representatives from the New South Wales Department of Education. It will take place on 7 June from 7 to 9 pm, and it is designed just for parents, not for children. I am advised that there are already more than 100 people registered, and that the event has been well publicised in local publications such as the Central CoastExpress Advocate. The Express, in fact, reported recently about fears of an ingrained culture of sexting from children as young as 10, with police, principals and parents saying they have been shocked by the scale of the problem in schools and in sporting clubs around our local region.

The event organiser is Sharryn Brownlee, president of the Central Coast Council of P&Cs. Sharryn said that, while these reports are alarming, the forum is not about frightening parents, or getting into detail about the effectiveness of filters or the explicit nature of the content. Instead, the focus of the forum will be around empowering parents and helping them with methods of protection, as well as getting a better understanding of how a digital footprint can later fall into the wrong hands. Put simply, children can sometimes be just one click away from taking a video clip that is later distributed worldwide—and it can never be retrieved.

This is also where the government can play a role in assisting with effective resources and support. They include the Stay Smart Online website, the online portal of the eSafety Commissioner, and the iParent website. These websites are clear, up to date, and detailed, and they provide resources for victims, families, and community leaders alike. Along with telephone helplines and the outstanding work being done by our local police—Brisbane Water Local Area Command, in particular, do an outstanding job in our community—these are important resources that we should all be familiar with.

But the right response also includes moves like that which we saw over the weekend from the New South Wales coalition government to help stop revenge porn. The Berejiklian government announced tough new laws, where people who record or share intimate images without consent can be jailed for up to three years and fined as much as $11,000. The state's Crimes Amendment (Intimate Images) Bill 2017 will make it an offence to intentionally record or distribute an intimate image of a person without their consent.

In closing, can I recognise the people in our communities who are personally impacted by this issue, and acknowledge the hurt and pain it can so easily cause. May I also thank every parent, teacher, community leader, police officer and anyone else who is working to keep our children safe. I commend this motion to the House.

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