Fiona Martin (Reid, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak on the motion put forward by the member for Stirling regarding the work of the eSafety Commissioner and the work the government is doing to lead the world on online safety. The online world brings with it the ability to connect with people all over the world but also poses new challenges to some of the most vulnerable in our community. Our government has led the world in its approach to online safety. In 2015 we established the Children's eSafety Commissioner, and we have since expanded the role to cover all Australians. This was a world first.

The Office of the eSafety Commissioner enjoys bipartisan support, and I can confidently speak for all members of the House when I say that the work of the commissioner is extremely valuable for the safety and education of all Australians. The commissioner's work has allowed us to take national leadership on issues relating to cybersecurity, cyberbullying and online harassment. These are issues that can affect any Australian regardless of age, cultural background, gender, socioeconomic status and technological literacy.

Over the next four years, the government is providing over $100 million to support vital online safety initiatives of the eSafety Commissioner. As a developmental and educational psychologist, and as a mum of four, I have seen just how difficult it can be for a parent to grapple with the challenges and risks that technology poses when trying to keep our kids safe online. Research conducted by the eSafety Commissioner found that 25 per cent of young people had been contacted by strangers online. Last year, the eSafety Commissioner received 638 complaints about serious cyberbullying targeting Australian children, and 1,500 reports of image based abuse.

In my electorate of Reid, I know that many families and school communities are concerned with the increase they're seeing in cyberbullying and about how to keep children safe online. Oftentimes, bullying begins offline at school and then follows the child home through online harassment, making it difficult for children to escape the influence of a bully. We've had a high level of cooperation from social media services in the rapid removal of cyberbullying material—in certain cases as quickly as within 30 minutes. And the Office of the eSafety Commissioner has created valuable resources for parents, carers and teachers to help support victims of cyberbullying, and to help teach all children the value of being responsible, resilient and respectful online as well as offline.

I spoke in this place last month about the 'start the chat' initiative, which helps parents to talk to their kids, as young as five years, about how to create a safe environment online. Similar resources are available for a broad range of groups, from schoolchildren to older Australians. Last year, our government released a consultation paper outlining proposals for the new online safety act. The online safety act will further strengthen the penalties for online abuse and harassment, especially to support women's safety online. The consultation process recently concluded, and engaged with industry groups, individuals and all levels of government. Online safety is really a shared responsibility, and I look forward to hearing the results of the consultation period in coming months. The proposals include introducing a new adult cyberabuse take-down scheme, reducing the time for abusive material to be removed to under 24 hours and expanding the scope of the eSafety Commissioner's powers to capture relevant platforms not previously included, such as gaming platforms, app stores and search engines.

This is building on legislation that imposes new tough penalties for online platforms that fail to remove violent material in a reasonable period of time. This legislation was a swift response to the Christchurch attacks in March last year, which were streamed on social media. Our new penalties provide protection for Australians, particularly children, from seeing violent crimes online. Our proposals for reform of online safety include a new measure to quickly block access to terrorism material in the event of future online crisis events.

In 2018, the government passed legislation which gives the eSafety Commissioner additional powers to combat image based abuse, including revenge porn, by issuing removal notices to websites, content hosts and social media providers. There are civil and criminal penalties, including fines of up to $5,000 for platforms and $105,000 for individuals, and jail time for up to seven years for an aggravated offence.

We know how important it is for Australians of all ages to be safe online. The Morrison government has been leading the way in online safety regulation. Thank you.

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