Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Farrell for his question. Senators will be aware that cyber bullying is a serious issue facing young Australians. Although young people are among the quickest adopters of new technology, it is apparent that cyber bullying can make the online space an unpleasant and potentially dangerous place. Young people are at the leading edge of online experience, and the Rudd government believes they can provide valuable advice on the emerging problem of cyber bullying and provide strategies on how to stay safe online.

Last month I launched the youth advisory group on cyber safety in Victoria. The YAG is a group of secondary school students aged from 11 to 17 who are providing advice to the government on cyber safety issues from a young person’s perspective. These young people have been tasked to help communicate to government what they see as the nature of cyber safety risks and how young people can manage them, and how cyber safety messages can best be communicated to other young Australians. Three hundred and five YAG members are contributing their online experiences to help inform government policy. In just the first week, 2,100 new cyber safety posts were generated on 75 individual topics. The quality of the contributions is impressive, and there is a rich source of information evolving in the online forum. This month, face-to-face meetings with trained moderators are being held at participating schools. On behalf of the government and the Senate, I extend my thanks to the YAG members for their participation in this project.