Claire Chandler (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, Senator Hume. Can the minister update the Senate on how the Liberal and Nationals government is committed to keeping Australian women and all Australians safe online?

Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Chandler for her question. The Morrison government has been at the forefront of delivering measures designed to give people the protection of the rule of law online, just as they have it offline. We cannot accept a situation in which social media is a place where cowards use the shield of anonymity to bully, harass and ruin lives. For too long, trolls, bots and bigots have flourished online behind a digital curtain of anonymity. That's why we, on this side of the chamber, have been steadfastly committed to measures that keep Australians, particularly women and children, safe online.

This government established the world-first eSafety Commissioner and legislation to deal with abhorrent and violent material online. This year we passed the Online Safety Act, which will take effect in January. This act gives the eSafety Commissioner new powers and digital platforms more responsibility. There's a new adult cyberabuse take-down scheme and a stronger cyberbullying scheme, reducing take-down periods from 48 hours to 24 hours and giving the eSafety Commissioner the power to respond more quickly to the worst of the worst content, such as child sexual abuse material, no matter where it's hosted. Importantly, we've provided Australia's eSafety Commissioner with the power to order tech companies to report on how they are responding to these harms so that Australian parents know what these companies are doing to make their products safe for kids and families. If the companies don't respond, they can expect hefty fines of over half a million dollars.

Since we came to government, the coalition have not stopped fighting to keep Australians safe online, whether it's the Online Safety Act or the recently announced antitrolling bill. These measures are all part of our plan to keep Australians safe online.

Slade Brockman (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Chandler, a supplementary question?

Claire Chandler (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister explain how the government's strong stance on online safety will be bolstered through the proposed new antitrolling laws?

Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Morrison government is acting urgently to develop world-leading reforms to protect all Australians who maintain social media accounts. This legislation will protect social media users from liability when third parties post defamatory comments on their page and will also empower Australians to unmask anonymous originators of defamatory comments and content. We want to give a voice and a pathway forward to the voiceless and protect the unfairly targeted, like a young woman suffering unwarranted attacks about her appearance or perceived sexuality, or parents struggling to figure out how to stop the cyberbullying of their teenage daughter. These reforms will permit more Australians to seek redress for online harms, because anonymity should not be weaponised to abuse, harass, bully or destroy people's reputations. The Morrison government is committed to keeping Australian women and, indeed, all Australians safe at all times, in the real world and online.

Slade Brockman (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Chandler, a second supplementary question?

Claire Chandler (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister outline any other initiatives that will work towards protecting Australians online and how these build on the government's previous investments?

Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In addition to the new powers that force global social media giants to unmask anonymous online trolls, the Morrison government has today announced a parliamentary committee to put big tech under the microscope. Australians are rightly concerned about whether big tech is doing enough to keep kids safe online. As the Prime Minister said, big tech created these platforms. They have a responsibility to ensure that their users are safe. Big tech has big questions to answer, but we want to hear from real Australians—from teachers, parents, athletes, small businesses and more—about their experience and what it is that they want to see changed. This inquiry will give Australians an opportunity to air concerns and give the tech companies an opportunity to deliver solutions. The Morrison government is committed to keeping Australians safe at all times, in the real world and online. (Time expired)