House debates

Monday, 29 July 2019

Private Members' Business

Idcare

5:42 pm

Photo of Andrew WallaceAndrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) according to IDCARE, in 2019 they will provide support to over 50,000 Australians and New Zealanders who have experienced identity takeover, cybercrimes, scams and cyber bullying;

(b) in 2018-19, IDCARE's call centre provided approximately 53,400 hours of specialist identity and cyber security counselling support to Australian residents; and

(c) Australia is being targeted by international organised crime and we need a strong approach to educating people on how they can protect themselves;

(2) recognises the commitment by the Government to prioritise cyber security initiatives as part of the Cyber Security Strategy 2016 and the Action Plan that outlines the steps the Government will take to achieve Australia's cybersecurity goals by 2020; and

(3) acknowledges the need for continued investment, support and education to protect Australians from being victims of international organised crime.

Today I rise to talk about people like Bill and Jean from Queensland. I won't say their surname. They recently found themselves victims of a cybercrime. I'm going to struggle to speak about this issue without using unparliamentary language. After innocently clicking on a Facebook ad that promised to deliver long-term financial returns for as little as $250 up-front, Bill and Jean were scammed out of over $300,000 of their life savings and their home. The harsh reality is that Bill and Jean are just one of many. Australians are increasingly being exposed to identity, romance and telco crimes as offshore crooks get smarter and more cunning in their ability to catch us out.

IDCARE is a joint government industry initiated community support organisation which was launched by the coalition government in 2014 to support the community at the frontline of identity crime scams and cybercrimes. Under the leadership of the managing director, Professor David Lacey of the University of the Sunshine Coast, IDCARE operates a phone counselling service offering support and practical guidance to people who report cybercrimes and scams. Demand for IDCARE services has increased fourfold since 2015. By the end of 2019, they will have provided support to around 50,000 people, and they are on track in coming years to reach 100,000. On the Sunshine Coast alone, one in 330 people will contact IDCARE to seek assistance in dealing with a scam or cybercrime activity. Nationally, one in 800 people will call upon the services of IDCARE.

The ACCC's Targeting scams report found that, in 2018, Australians lost $489.7 million to scams, and I'd suggest that's conservative. This report also identified that scammers are increasingly using technology and applications like Facebook to increase their reach and efficiency to develop new scams. Instances of impersonations of the Australian Tax Office also rose by 900 per cent in 2018 through the use of robocalls. I've been a recipient many, many times, with the calls threatening warrants for my arrest if I do not act urgently by calling a particular number to clear my purported debt to the tax office. It makes my blood boil to see these crooks trying to stealing money from hardworking and, often, retired Australians. Scams, cybercrimes and identity crimes impact every Australian. Even my own dad nearly became a victim when he responded to a sales ad for a vintage MG sports car. It was thanks to the suspicions of the bank teller that this was identified as a scam. As it turned out, the teller was right, and it was right that she sounded the alarm. Fortunately, financial institutions just like the one my dad uses are now taking a much more proactive approach to dealing with instances of cybercrime, which will go a long way towards intercepting dodgy sales transactions.

The Morrison government is making strong progress in this space and is committed to providing funding to establish education tools and programs so our community can protect itself against cybercrimes. On 29 April 2019, the Morrison government announced $156 million to protect older Australians, small businesses and national security assets from the risk of cyberattacks. This included investing $50 million to create a Cyber Security National Workforce Growth Program to invest in creating a cyber workforce; $40 million to establish a countering foreign cybercriminals capability within the Australian Cyber Security Centre, drawing on the expertise of the AFP to combat the increasingly sophisticated organised cybercrime gangs; and $26 million to support the Australian Cyber Security Centre. According to David Lacey, we need to talk about these crimes when they happen. David says, in his experience, many people feel ashamed and embarrassed that they have become a victim. These crooks are clever and cunning, and we need to do everything we can to stop them.

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