Anne Webster (Mallee, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to support this motion and to acknowledge the government's efforts to keep Australians safe online. In particular, I support the integration and expansion of the Office of the eSafety Commissioner, a world-first initiative that was originally established under the Enhancing Online Safety for Children Act 2015 to promote online safety for children. In 2017 the scope of the commissioner's role was extended to help all Australians but with a distinct focus on the safety and privacy of women and children. As the world becomes global, yet more local, through increasingly interconnected technology and digital services, it is crucial that government policy keeps pace with these changes in order to respond to the prevailing conditions and risks in society. The eSafety Commissioner helps achieve this by safeguarding Australians at risk from online harm and by promoting safer, more positive online experiences. The commissioner's work focuses on building strong partnerships between relevant organisations and stakeholders, promoting online safety using media and marketing strategies, protecting Australians through reporting, investigations and notification schemes, and anticipating how new technologies might be used or misused in order to inform systemic change.

Since its establishment the Office of the eSafety Commissioner has reached over 475,000 parents and community groups through eSafety outreach and, 11,000 working teachers through online programs, and has trained over 9,500 frontline workers to assist women who are experiencing online abuse. The commissioner has also finalised 43,000 investigations, 70 per cent of which concerned child sexual abuse material, and in 2019 made 8,500 reports of child sexual abuse material to the Australian Federal Police and a global organisation called INHOPE, which is leading the fight against these materials. These statistics demonstrate the need to support the role of the eSafety Commissioner, which is why the government is providing over $100 million to support the commissioner's vital initiatives over the next four years, $10 million to support an Online Safety Grants Program for four years for non-government organisations, administered by eSafety, as well as $9.3 million to extend the Be Connected program for another year, which helps older Australians navigate the world of online safely.

As a member of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs, I was pleased to hear firsthand from the eSafety Commissioner on the committee's Inquiry into Age Verification for Online Wagering and Online Pornography. This committee has been investigating the effectiveness of age verification systems and ways in which these mechanisms might be strengthened to protect minors more effectively. The committee held two public hearings with this inquiry and received over 300 submissions. According to research from the eSafety Commissioner, Australian children are regularly exposed to harmful online experiences, with 28 per cent of parents reporting that their child has had a negative experience online. It was encouraging to learn that the eSafety Commissioner supports the implementation of age verification technology and is willing to assist in the development of any such mechanisms.

Australians want and have a right to expect that our children and grandchildren will be protected from predatory behaviour and accidental connections to inappropriate material online. It is for this reason I'm pleased that the government is developing new legislation to bring together separate components of the existing online safety regulatory framework in a single place, providing clarity and assurance to users and related industries. The proposed new act would establish a set of basic online safety expectations for industry and build on the strengths of existing schemes regulating cyberbullying and image based abuse. It would also consolidate the powers and responsibilities at the eSafety Commissioner and establish a clear and unambiguous power for the commissioner to protect Australians during an online crisis event by directing internet service providers to block access to sites hosting terrorist or violent material.

Whether it's combating cyberbullying, guarding privacy, preventing the publication of violent terror content, or protecting against online predators, the government is committed to helping keep Australians safe online, and the eSafety Commissioner is crucial to achieving this aim.

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