House debates

Monday, 2 March 2020

Private Members' Business

Online Safety

5:32 pm

Photo of Anne WebsterAnne 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.

5:37 pm

Photo of Meryl SwansonMeryl Swanson (Paterson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | | Hansard source

When I was first elected, I would arrive in Canberra on a Sunday afternoon and head straight to the supermarket to get the groceries for the week. And if you've ever been down to Woolies on a Sunday afternoon, it can often be a chaotic place, with everyone getting school lunches and things organised for Monday morning. So, this year we've started ordering online the night before. That means we can jump on the app and add all the usual things we'd use in our office over the week. It usually takes a lot longer than that to pick them up at the grocery store on a Sunday. Then, instead of spending all that time, spend just five minutes on a Sunday and then run in and grab the bags. It is that simple.

This isn't a how-to for online grocery shopping. It's an example of how technology is truly making mundane tasks much simpler and easier. Australians are becoming more connected than ever, and with this rapid growth comes the necessity to keep safe online. When I head out for mobile offices around my electorate, I take the eSafety Commissioner's Little Black Book of Scams, because I rarely speak to someone who hasn't been a victim or come close, or who knows someone who has. In 2020 alone, Australians have lost over $7 million through online scams. That's $7 million down the drain to a criminal on the end of a computer.

The most common scams are for dodgy investments, followed by dating and romance, and then scams involving threats to life. Shockingly, Australians over 55 are falling victim to financial scams more than any other age group in Australia, accounting for more than half of the financial loss. That's a $7 million figure this year alone—and I don't need to remind you that we've just kicked off March, so it's a lot of money that Australians are losing to these criminal scammers. They are so professional these days. I have to tell you I often get a text and I think, 'Is that real?' If you're in doubt, just delete it. They're becoming increasingly sophisticated in their attempts to get our money or, more importantly, our personal details. Honestly, we need to be so alert to protect ourselves by knowing the signs and knowing what to do about them.

Here are a few tips. Don't open suspicious texts. If you get a text that looks really suspicious, just delete it. Don't even open it. This includes pop-up windows, click-on links or attachments in emails. Delete them. If you're unsure, verify the identity of the contact through an independent source such as an online search or even a phone book, if you've still got one. Don't respond to phone calls about your computer asking for remote access. Hang up, even if they mention a well-known company such as Telstra. Scammers will often ask you to turn on your computer to fix a problem or install a free upgrade, which is actually a virus which will give them access to your passwords and your personal details. Please choose your passwords carefully. I know passwords can be tricky to remember, but new technology allows scammers to scan through thousands of passwords in a minute. If your password is '123456', I would strongly urge you to change it.

E-safety week has recently been upon us. Of course, one of the most concerning things about our connected community is the risk that it poses to our children. We all know kids are more connected than ever. As I'm sure my colleague the member for Hindmarsh will attest—he's got some grandchildren—

Photo of Steve GeorganasSteve Georganas (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party) Share this | | Hansard source

Adelaide.

Photo of Meryl SwansonMeryl Swanson (Paterson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | | Hansard source

Adelaide—I've got to get that through my head. Young people are some of the most switched-on and connected, but they are still vulnerable. Last month, on 11 February, we celebrated Safer Internet Day, which was promoted by the Office of the eSafety Commissioner. This was a day to talk about how to stay safe online in our communities and how to help protect our kids in this new digital world. As the parent of a 16-year-old, of course I'm always worried about her and her digital reputation. She's so savvy. Thankfully, she's very switched-on. But there are just so many traps and pitfalls for young people these days. So my advice to any parent or young person is: just be cautious and, if you don't want your grandmother to find out about it or you don't want it on the front page of a newspaper, don't put it online. That's my advice, Adelaide Swanson, from your mother.

In conclusion, as we race to grab the newest technologies with the fastest download speeds, we must do our bit to educate our children, ourselves and our older Australians so that we can stay safe. Stay safe online, Australia.

5:43 pm

Photo of Fiona MartinFiona 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.

5:48 pm

Photo of Steve GeorganasSteve Georganas (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party) Share this | | Hansard source

I too rise today in support of this private member's motion, to do with online safety.

Our society, our youth, our children and mums and dads—every single Australian—should be concerned about online safety. We heard earlier in the speeches that other members have made here about areas of fraud, and we see that regularly. I certainly have many people who come to see me and to talk about how they've been done online. That is through a whole range of things. There are official tax notices coming in an email and saying that you owe a certain percentage of tax, so call this number and give your details over the phone or send your payment to this address. This is an area where I suppose the internet and social media are rapidly changing, and these things have come into our lives at a faster pace than any other technology. Being a grandfather with grandchildren, I'm really concerned when I see my two-year-old toddler granddaughter going up to the TV screen and trying to scroll it across with her finger because she's so used to looking at my iPhone or the iPad and is thinking that the TV's a screen. So you can see how it affects everyone's lives from a very, very early age.

The internet is a positive thing. It's given us a whole new world to do research, to hear different views from different perspectives from around the world. But at the same time, the dark elements of the internet are there, and we should always be vigilant and ensure that we, as governments, do everything to combat these dark elements. They range from child predators to fraudsters to a whole range of other things to whether they're just looking at how they can extract money from you. In 2015, as we've heard, the government established the world's first Children's eSafety Commissioner and then expanded this role to cover all Australians, regardless of whether they're young or old.

Some of our old people are also very vulnerable to fraud. We've seen many, many examples. I pointed one out which was an email from the tax department saying 'You owe X amount of dollars and, if you don't pay it immediately, we'll be coming around to your house to collect the money,'—in those words, not so blunt. But they use very elaborate language. They get the person who's received the email to call a particular number and ask them to put a small amount of money—sometimes a large amount of money—into a particular account; otherwise they're coming around and they would be arrested immediately. If you're a person in your late 80s, not too savvy on the internet, receiving these emails, not only might you fall for the con but it traumatises people. I've had people ring me saying, 'I've just received this email or this text from a particular government agency asking for X amount of dollars.' They're not quite sure. They don't know and that's why they've rung us in the office. You can see them being traumatised just by the thought that they owe money.

During the last election campaign, the Labor opposition announced it would work to protect a whole new generation of Australian children from cyber-risk by creating a new eSmart Digital Licence that was set to begin its rollout in 2020. This was to protect our children. The eSmart licence would better equip Australian children with critical digital skills, educate them and, in turn, promote critical thinking and open discussion about online safety between young people, their parents, carers, and teachers.

One of the other things that has troubled me and many other members in this place immensely, and people have raised this issue, is online gambling, where it's made so easy to gamble without any verification of age or anything. I attend the football regularly—AFL football, of course, unlike my friends in the northern states—and see the promotion that's taking place by the betting agencies outside the gates with skimpily dressed women targeting young men, giving them promotional material to have bets during the game. This is something that we should be very wary of. Online gambling has created a new gambler with millions of dollars being lost every single year. What we need is good education, for people to know what their rights are online, and to ensure that we protect the Australian citizens from online harm.

5:53 pm

Photo of Ross VastaRoss Vasta (Bonner, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

When it comes to online safety, the Morrison government has a strong record of protecting Australians from online harms. We are world beaters on this issue and that's something we can all be proud of. As our everyday reliance on the internet grows so too does the danger for our safety. From online scams to online bullying, trolling and spam, for all the reliance and great things we can do on the internet, the risk of these negative aspects if higher than ever before. With Safer Internet Day marked last month, I organised a safer internet forum for seniors in my electorate of Bonner. Sadly, some of our older Australians have become easy targets for online scammers, who come across as legitimate. It can be easy to see why people are being caught out. Federally, the Morrison government is funding $9.3 million to continue the Be Connected program to help older Australians navigate the online world safely. This is a fantastic initiative. However, with the number of calls my office receives questioning whether certain emails and calls are legitimate, I was keen to organise a local event with guest speakers from the Bonner community. I was very pleased to have more than 50 seniors in my electorate come along to learn about how to avoid common online scams.

I would like to thank Bob from the Office of Fair Trading and Senior Sergeant Kylie Doyle from Holland Park Police Station for coming along and running presentations on some of the latest scams and frauds catching out unaware internet users. As the online world gets craftier with their scams, it's so important that we stay informed of their latest attempts. It's also important that we don't take requests to verify information or pay unsuspecting fines on face value, and instead question the legitimacy of such requests. The bottom line is: if your gut says there's something wrong, it usually is right. Locally, I'm always working to support my constituents in Bonner to help them and inform them on matters such as avoiding online scams.

From a national point of view, I'm proud to be part of a government that established the world's first eSafety Commissioner to improve online safety for all Australians. The Morrison government is supporting the eSafety Commissioner to the tune of $100 million to support vital online safety initiatives over the next four years. Such initiatives include takedown mechanisms to remove cyberbullying material, intimate images shared without consent, and prohibited and illegal material. Working towards building a safe online community has never been more important. In 2019, eSafety received more than 1,500 reports of image based abuse, and more than 600 complaints of serious cyberbullying targeting Australian children. Whilst scamming unsuspecting victims is a horrible crime, cyberbullying is abhorrent, and we have zero tolerance for such acts. The eSafety Commissioner has received a lot since its establishment to improve online safety and, with the proposed online safety act currently under consultation, we will be able to implement wider takedown schemes.

The Morrison government is at the forefront of protecting Australians from online harm and holding tech industries to account. As a government, we must work together to keep Australians safe in their homes, in the community, and online.

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

There being no further speakers, the debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.