Bert Van Manen (Forde, Liberal Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, representing the Attorney-General. Will the minister update the House on how the Morrison government's commitment to protecting the rule of law will ensure Australians are protected from harm?

Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts) | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Forde, who has a very strong commitment to protecting the rule of law, as do all on this side of the House. That can be seen through the legislation that we've been taking forward in this term in government—for example, the Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment (High Risk Terrorist Offenders) Bill 2021, which establishes an extended supervision order scheme to ensure that terrorist offenders who are released into the community at the end of their custodial sentence are subject to tailored, close supervision; the Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment (Sunsetting Review and Other Measures) Bill 2021, which provides for the continuation of key counterterrorism powers, including control orders and preventative detention orders; and the Crimes Amendment (Remissions of Sentences) Bill 2021, which addresses the significant risks to community safety as a result of remissions being granted to federal offenders under state and territory law. These are all ways in which we have demonstrated our commitment to protecting the rule of law, as well as the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor Amendment Bill 2021, to assist in monitoring the performance of that person's role.

We're also very committed to the rule of law online. The rule of law needs to apply in the digital town square as much as it does in the physical town square. That is a principle that the Morrison government has been taking tangible action to give effect to. We passed the Online Safety Act last year. It's now in operation, giving our eSafety Commissioner stronger powers to crack down on cyberbullying, toxic online abuse, harmful content and the non-consensual sharing of intimate images. All of these things are devastating to their victims. Sadly, overwhelmingly the victims, particularly of the non-consensual of sharing of intimate images, are women and girls. And we have taken concrete action to deal with this and other scourges.

We've also introduced the antitrolling bill to crackdown on anonymous trolls making defamatory comments online. We've released the exposure draft of the privacy legislation amendment bill, aimed at protecting Australians online and keeping Australia's privacy laws fit for purpose in the digital age. We are not stopping there, because we know the online world is changing so quickly, which is why the House Select Committee on Social Media and Online Safety is conducting an inquiry. We will watch the evidence and the recommendations of that committee very carefully.

Keeping Australians safe is a priority for this government. We're acting on that priority, whether it comes to our national security laws or whether it comes to keeping Australians safe online. This is a central focus of the Morrison government.