Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The growth of the internet has been remarkable. It is estimated by the Australian Bureau of Statistics that more than 12 million people in Australia have internet subscriptions, and the Australian Communications and Media Authority has estimated that there are nearly 10 million mobile phone internet subscriptions. Social media has also grown rapidly, with Facebook having more than 11 million users in Australia. An estimated 90 per cent of Australian high school students have a Facebook account. This trend line of growing internet usage and access will only continue over time.

While many benefits flow to our community from higher levels of online connectivity, be they related to social interaction or to commerce, there are also many pitfalls and dangers. Many citizens in our community, particularly our young people, are left more vulnerable now to bullying online as well as to illegal conduct and other forms of inappropriate activity. This is why initiatives like Safer Internet Day are so important. Organised on a global scale, each year thousands of people right around the world come together to promote safer use of the internet. This year is the 10th anniversary of Safer Internet Day, with Australia being one of the founding 14 countries. The theme this year is online rights and responsibilities and it is captured with the slogan 'Connect with respect'. To mark Safer Internet Day this year in Australia, over 1,500 children in schools right across the country were involved in a cyber-smart challenge which involved interactive activities designed to better inform young people about safe usage of the internet. Also, more than 17,000 Australian students received the internet safety awareness presentation Cybersmart Outreach, which also encourages informed decision-making when it comes to using the internet.

I am very pleased that the coalition has taken the lead in the important area of cybersafety. Last year Tony Abbott set up a working group which consulted widely around the country and then released a discussion paper in November last year. Submissions are being taken on this discussion paper right now and they will close at the end of March. Significantly, the working paper does raise the possibility of better coordination of content and messaging with regard to online safety; more effective engagement with internet content providers and media outlets which deliver product and services that children in particular access online; and a single content point relating to online safety. The paper also raises important initiatives around establishing a children's e-safety commissioner to take a national leadership role in online safety for children; implementing rapid removal protocols with large social media outlets for material that is targeted and likely to cause harm to Australian children, through a cooperative regulatory scheme; and better support for schools through a stronger online safety component within the National Safe Schools Framework.

I also think it is important that senior members of our community, the so-called silver surfers, are given assistance and support around education in online safety—tips on changing passwords, how to use attachments, how to close accounts and how do deal with unsolicited emails and SMS messages seeking personal information. These are all important protocols. If seniors learn about them now, they can avoid trouble in the future.

Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, this is a critical area and it deserves bipartisan support. We need to maintain a watching brief as technology is changing very rapidly and it is so important that we protect our children online.