Brian Mitchell (Lyons, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

As an adult, I can think of no greater duty—none—than the protection of children. Labor supported the creation of the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation, which aims to tackle the prevalence of digital exploitation and online predation. We are pleased to see that it's getting results, and all strength to its arm.

The centre is mandated to do the following:

1. Reduce economic, social and individual rewards from child exploitation.

2. Reduce harm from complex, organised child exploitation networks.

3. Enhance capability and interoperability between the public and private sectors, and civil society.

4. Enhance community confidence that authorities, civil society, and the private sector are addressing the issue of child exploitation.

In the House an hour or so ago, there was a very good debate on the role that social media platforms have played in spreading hate and disinformation generally. That debate was during a private member's motion brought by the member for Mallee, Dr Webster, who herself has been targeted in the most egregious way on social media.

But many people in the community are affected by what is occurring online. The social media platforms must do better in facing up to their responsibilities. This stuff does not happen in print or on broadcast media at anywhere near the frequency that it does online. Perhaps that's because over the years and decades laws have managed to keep pace with community standards. The same can't be said about the online world. The internet has been part of our world for 30 years now and is inextricably woven into every aspect of our lives, but it's still like the Wild West.

As the elected representatives of our nation, we have a duty to keep the internet as free as possible while ensuring that it remains in line with community standards. That means pretty much extending the same standard to platforms that we expect of newspapers and television stations. However, we have grown accustomed to thinking that this stuff happens on the margins of the net, in the grimy underbelly of the dark web and peer-to-peer portals. But it is happening in full view, on popular shopping websites accessed by millions of Australians.

In recent weeks, I have joined a campaign launched jointly by Victorian designer Anna Cordell and a group called the Collective Shout which seeks to get child abuse material and products off the popular shopping website Etsy. I mentioned this campaign in passing a few weeks ago in the House, but it's worth raising again. Etsy is a very popular, US based website which millions of Australians, mostly women, use to purchase gifts and crafts. Many Australians also sell their own goods on the platform.

Members will be shocked to learn that Etsy, which describes itself as a 'mindful, transparent and humane' business and which caters overwhelmingly to women looking for handcrafted and unique products, is also platforming child sexual abuse material. As The Daily Telegraph reported two weeks ago, alongside handmade baby blankets you can buy rape dolls—they call them 'child sex dolls', but they are rape dolls—resembling children as young as 10. One is listed as having the height and weight of a 12-year-old and is photographed in teenage clothing. The listing promises 'discreet shipping' and plain brown boxes. These dolls are illegal in Australia. Importing one can cost you more than half a million dollars in fines and up to 10 years in prison. As of December last year, ABF has seized 191, up from 145 the year before. Also on Etsy, alongside gifts for Father's Day, you can buy T-shirts and underwear with slogans including 'Daddy's Little—' and I won't include the word, 'whore', and 'Daddy's Little—' and I won't include the word, 'slut', and others.

When Anna Cordell was made aware of the disgusting material that her products were being sold alongside, she left Etsy and started a petition demanding that the products be removed, that the sellers be banned and that Etsy commit to ensuring that its site remains free of such material in the future. To date the petition has gathered more than 33,000 signatures, including my own, and I would certainly encourage members to join us. Unfortunately, Etsy appears to have turned a deaf ear. Some of the material is no longer there, but the sellers are still there. Etsy has not issued any public statement committing to keeping the site clean. This week Anna wrote to the Etsy CEO and board asking, 'How do factory-produced sex dolls and child sexual abuse fit with Etsy's stated values?' She continues: 'I am struggling to understand why, despite the petition, media coverage and widespread condemnation, you continue to remain silent.'

Etsy's board is well credentialed. Some very fine people are on there. But they cannot hide behind the facade of their decency. They are complicit. They know about this now. They've been told that this material exists. They must act. They must get this material off their website. It is disgusting. There's no place for it. These well-credentialed, fine, upstanding citizens on the board of Etsy have nowhere to hide. If they don't remove this material, they are complicit in the crime of selling it.

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