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

I am thankful for the opportunity to speak on the Criminal Code Amendment (Protecting Minors Online) Bill 2017. I am thankful also for the opportunity to confront an issue about which as a parent I have in retrospect possibly been a little too laissez-faire. I have three sons, good sons but spirited and with a thirst for all that life has to offer, one that my wife and I as parents encourage. That quizzical, inquiring and adventurous mind is a great thing. Life is to be lived, and the inquisitive nature of children is something to treasure. Another distinctive characteristic of children is their innocence and level of trust—things also to be protected.

I spoke recently in the Federation Chamber about the risks to children that arise as a result of easy access to online pornography. I have been visited by a constituent in my electorate, Liz Walker from Porn Harms Kids. Liz came to my electorate office and emphasised the dangers that access to online pornography poses to Australian children. She outlined the research and opened my eyes a little bit. Needless to say, I went home and spoke to my eldest son and he was 10 steps ahead of me. He was way ahead of me. He had already been shown a lot of what Liz was talking about at school, believe it or not, by other students through wi-fi access. I then spoke in the chamber and I mentioned the correlation between the consumption of violent, sexually explicit material, of which there is plenty, and the normalising of sexual aggression. I asked, 'How do we keep our children safe given the ease of access to the internet everywhere—at home, school and public wi-fi hotspots?' At any moment it seems our children can be just one click away from harm.

The answer is that we here and at home do whatever we can. We listen to those at the coalface, and we respond, just like we are today, with tangible measures to minimise the potential for harm. We work with our children. As suggested by the Office of the Children's eSafety Commissioner, we need to teach our children that not everyone they meet online can be trusted, even if they seem nice and friendly. It is unfortunate but necessary because, to be perfectly frank, there are creeps that devote their entire lives to getting around all those things that we do to keep our kids safe. They are experts in depravity.

The minister in his second reading speech recognised the work of Sonya Ryan in the drafting of this legislation. The bill is a testament to Sonya, who has worked tirelessly for change since her 15-year-old daughter Carly was murdered a decade ago by an online predator posing as a teenage boy. Through you, Mr Deputy Speaker Buchholz, I say: I am so sorry, Sonya. It is impossible to bring back to life those like your beautiful daughter Carly who have lost their lives at the hands of the most cowardly predators. I wish I could change that. We cannot. But we can change in response.

The bill we are discussing today adds a new level of child protection to that which currently exists. It guards children against internet predators by allowing intervention by law enforcement agencies sooner, well prior to harm being done. With a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment, the amendment ensures that the serious offence of engaging in conduct to prepare or to plan to cause harm to, procure or engage in sexual activity with a child is matched by appropriate punishment—if there is such a thing. The bill introduces an offence that focuses on predators' use of online forums and platforms like social media and messaging applications for exploitive purposes. It addresses emerging technology and trends. It brings up to date the framework that offers protection, with the new offence targeting a broader range of preparatory behaviour than that which is captured by existing offences. It addresses the advantage that the anonymity of the internet offers to child predators, which they use to forge relationships with children. This is something that we recognise is a first step these deviants use to little child victims for sexual abuse and other forms of harm. The bill further complements the government's ongoing work to counter the online sexual exploitation of children, including through the Australian Federal Police's ThinkUKnow program which educates students, parents and teachers about dangers online.

I am proud to support efforts to protect children using the internet and to be here to speak on this bill. Technology is a changeable landscape. We must all keep pace, especially when it comes to protecting Australian children. I think all those who work in this space—police, health workers, community organisations, foster carers and public servants. It is tough stuff. But I would say to mums and dads, to grandparents and carers: have a conversation with your children and monitor their online usage.

Lastly, I want to say sorry and thank you to those children who have supported online incidents. We know that it is not easy, but in doing so you help to protect the youngest Australians—from toddlers to teens. You are our eyes and ears until we figure out a way to offer you watertight protection. Watch this space. We are working on it. This bill is the next step.

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