Carina Garland (Chisholm, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The ACCC's annual Targeting scams report for 2022, which was released earlier this year, unveiled a startling reality: Australians lost over $3 billion to scams last year alone, marking an 80 per cent increase from the previous year. These figures are obviously deeply concerning, as they highlight the extensive financial damage inflicted on the economy and on everyday Australians by unscrupulous criminals. We know scammers employ various tactics to deceive unsuspecting victims, including phone calls, emails, text messages and contact via online platforms. These scams can range from fake investment opportunities and lottery winnings to romance and employment fraud. Scams not only impact individuals but also strain the resources of government agencies and organisations. The government incurs costs in terms of investigation, prosecution and support services for victims. We also know that scams can erode public trust and confidence in various sectors, such as banking, telecommunications and government services, leading to increased regulatory efforts and the need for consumer education.

I know how much of a concern this is within my own electorate of Chisholm. I recently hosted a series of community scam briefings with the aim of educating the community on how we can best protect ourselves from scammers. When we put the call out, my office was inundated by members of the community wanting to attend. When hosting these community scam briefings at the Glen Waverley Bowls Club, I heard of the challenges that vulnerable members of the community faced in trying to avoid being scammed. During these briefings, attendees had the opportunity to learn valuable strategies on how to best protect themselves against scammers. It is an unfortunate reality that scammers often target the most vulnerable members of our communities, and that makes it crucial for people to be equipped with knowledge and tools to defend themselves. Hundreds of people attended these sessions, which demonstrates very clearly the high level of concern regarding scams, the levels of fraud in the community and the deep anxiety that people have when seeking to navigate their day-to-day affairs in the face of incessant contact from scammers. Likewise, when my office offered to assist in the provision of resources to the community, such as the fabulous resource from the ACCC, The Little Black Book of Scams, my office was also met with a large wave of calls and emails. I'm so that glad my office has been able to assist with this very valuable resource.

Naturally, I've been very pleased to see that the Albanese Labor government has recognised the urgency of tackling this issue. We've acted already through various measures to combat scams. We've announced an $86.5 million package to combat scams and fraud, which is really important to my community. This significant investment was headlined by the establishment of the first National Anti-Scam Centre. This initiative showcases our commitment to addressing the issue and providing a centralised hub for scam prevention and response. It's also important to highlight that our government is delivering on its commitment to disrupt illegal text message scams by establishing an SMS sender ID registry. Through the 2023-24 budget, the Australian Communications and Media Authority will receive more than $10 million over four years to launch and maintain an Australian SMS sender ID registry. This registry will prevent scammers from imitating key industry or government brand names such as Lindt or myGov in text message headers. This adds a new layer of protection for Australian consumers against scammers using these known brands to target and deceive.

Our government takes combating scams seriously. We've made an important investment. We've set aside funding to invest further in technology to support scam identification and disruption and real-time data sharing. We've also provided funding to ASIC to take down investment scams and phishing websites. I'm really proud that our government is taking a stand and demonstrating to Australians that enough is enough and that they're not on their own when they're trying to navigate their day-to-day business in the face of these scammers. Ahead of these scam forums, I learnt from the ACCC about three steps to protect ourselves: stop, think and protect. Take your time, ask yourself if the message could be fake and act quickly if something feels wrong.