Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Communications, Senator Fifield. Today being Safer Internet Day, can the minister outline what the government is doing to keep Australians safe online?

Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Duniam, for your question and your interest in the important area of online safety. It is particularly appropriate to receive this question today on what is Safer Internet Day, which is an international initiative acknowledged in more than 90 countries.

In November last year, along with the Minister for Women, Senator Cash, I was very pleased to announce the employment of Julie Inman Grant as the new Children's eSafety Commissioner. As colleagues would probably recall, that office was established in 2015 and operates an online cyberbullying complaints system, which has seen the commissioner and her predecessor work with large social media services to remove harmful cyberbullying material which is targeted at Australian children.

Research that has been conducted by the government disturbingly found that over a 12-month period as many as one in five Australian children aged between eight and 17 have experienced cyberbullying. I should also advise colleagues that the government has provided $7½ million in funding for the delivery of online safety education programs in schools. The government has also announced that it will introduce a bill this year to expand the general functions of the Children's eSafety Commissioner from online safety for children to online safety for all Australians. This really recognises the expanded role that the office has assumed over time, particularly in relation to issues of women's safety and domestic abuse being promulgated on online platforms. As a result, we will be renaming the office as the online eSafety Commissioner—(Time expired)

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Duniam, a supplementary question?

Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister further outline what the government is doing to address women's safety online?

Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I was saying, we are renaming the office to the eSafety Commissioner to emphasise the broad coverage for all Australians. At the time of the announcement of Ms Inman-Grant's appointment, we said that the commissioner would take the lead in combating nonconsensual sharing of intimate images. The government, I should also advise, is conducting a public consultation process on a proposed civil penalties regime, targeted at both the perpetrators and sites which host intimate images and video shared without consent. That will be released in the coming months. In parallel, the government has also allocated $4.8 million to the office to develop a national online reporting tool, and that will allow victims to report cases of nonconsensual sharing of intimate images and to access immediate support.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Duniam, a final supplementary question?

Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Finally, can the minister update the Senate on the achievements of the Children's eSafety Commissioner to date?

Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I can. The office has resolved more than 330 serious cyberbullying complaints. It has conducted over 11,800 investigations into illegal or offensive online content. It has educated more than 163,000 people via virtual classrooms and face-to-face presentations. It has launched its youth-focused initiative, Rewrite Your Story, to raise awareness about cyberbullying and the reporting function the office has. The office has also launched the eSafety Women's site with resources and advice for women and has provided training for more than 1200 front-line professionals across every state and territory to help women who experience technology-facilitated abuse. I think it is an important development that we are expanding the role and remit of the office, not only the soft functions but also the hard functions, which include looking at a new civil penalties regime.

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.

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