NetAlert – Protecting Australian Families Online
Adelaide Launch
Senator the Hon Helen Coonan
Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts
Tuesday 4 September 2007
It is a pleasure to be here today.
This week is NAPCAN’s National Child Protection Week, so there is no better time to talk about internet safety and protecting our children online.
As we have just heard from the Smith Family, the internet is having very positive effects on the lives of young people.
Internet and opportunity
The internet is indeed a window on the world and has transformed the way we communicate.
Properly harnessed, the World Wide Web has enormous potential as a tool for education, entertainment, interaction and global engagement.
However, much like the ‘real world’, there is a lot online that you would not want your children to see or do.
Pornography, and other offensive or inappropriate material, can be just a mouse few clicks away, and not everyone you meet online can be trusted.
There is concern in the community about issues like the potential dangers of chat rooms and social networking sites, the use of video-hosting sites to upload inappropriate content, and cyber-bullying.
The Australian Government takes the safety of our children very seriously.
In 2006, we announced the Protecting Australian Families Online initiative as part of our commitment to ensure that all Australians, particularly children are safe online.
The initiative was expanded recently and represents the single biggest approach to protecting Australian families online in the history of the internet.
NetAlert – Protecting Australian Families Online has been developed to empower parents to manage their children’s online activities safely, and in line with their own family values.
Research supporting the information campaign
In developing the NetAlert information campaign, we have drawn on research commissioned by the Government which gives an idea of what is really happening online from the persepectives of both parents and young people.
There were some startling findings, some of which I’d like to share with you.
For example, 40 per cent of children who chat online said they had been contacted by someone they didn’t know.
Thirty-nine per cent of children said they had put a photo of themselves online.
One in five children aged 13 to 17 said they had seen or heard people bullying or abusing other people online.
And more than half of teenagers surveyed said they had visited websites that their parents would have preferred them not to.
With this research and with this campaign we aim to shine the light on a world that some parents are only vaguely aware of.
And, we are providing parents and carers of children with the tools to tailor their child’s internet experience.
NetAlert – a holistic approach
Importantly, we recognise that there is no single solution to potential dangers online. There is no silver bullet.
The Australian Government has developed the $189 million NetAlert – Protecting Australian Families Online initiative as a comprehensive response that combines real practical help with the best technology available, education, awareness, tough regulation and policing to ensure that Australian families can get the best of the internet, whilst minimising potential harm.
In developing this initiative, we have also recognised the importance of empowering parents to manage their children’s online activities safely, in line with their own family values.
Never has parenting been more important but when it comes to supervising online, we recognise many parents do need help, advice and support.
Let me briefly outline the $189 million NetAlert – Protecting Australian Families Online initiative.
National Filter Scheme
An element of NetAlert is the $85 million National Filter Scheme which will provide access to the best available internet filtering technology, free to every Australian family through personal computer or ISP-based filtering and for public libraries.
The filters, in conjunction with other measures, can help parents deal with social and health issues, such as eating disorders and bullying that can be exacerbated by inappropriate and unsupervised internet use.
Parents can enter keywords to help block websites containing those words, or the filters can be used to help block entire categories of content.
There are a number of categories that can be blocked, including, in at least one of the filters, pro-anorexia and drug-related websites.
The filters also allow parents to limit their child’s time on the internet and monitor sites that have been visited by their children.
Law enforcement and prosecution
The AFP’s Online Child Sexual Exploitation Team, (OCSET) was launched in March 2005. It provides the AFP with national assessment and coordination capability for international and national referrals of child pornography.
Since its inception, OCSET has been responsible for laying charges against 55 people over a total of 160 offences.
The AFP has 35 specialist staff dedicated to the evaluation and investigation of online sex exploitation matters.
A further 100 AFP investigators throughout Australia have been trained to increase the capacity of the AFP to fight this crime.
Under the NetAlert-Protecting Australian Families Online initiative the Government will provide an additional $43.5 million over four years to further assist OCSET and its high-tech crime units in the detection and investigation of online child sex exploitation including the ‘grooming’ of children by online predators.
The additional funding will enable the deployment of 36 new staff in 2007-08 rising to an additional 90 staff by 2009-10.
And, to deal with the increased activity of the OCSET, the Commonwealth Department of Public Prosecutions will receive an additional $1.4 million in year one and $2.8 million each year thereafter.
The Australian Government will also lead a Consultative Working Group comprising government, education, community and industry representatives to address the use by predators of social networking sites as a means to contact and meet children in the physical world.
This group will assess the adequacy of current ways of dealing with online predators and will examine additional safeguards to help protect children from unwanted contact online.
Increased regulation
On the regulation front, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) will receive $7.1 million additional resources to investigate illegal or inappropriate online content and to expand the ACMA Blacklist of websites hosted overseas which carry illegal content.
This is particularly important because the opt-in ISP-level filtering being developed will be based on the ACMA Blacklist.
In recognition of the need for international collaboration there is $500,000 for Australia to take a lead in finding new and more effective methods to deal with illegal content hosted overseas.
This will enable collaboration with relevant agencies to initiate work in the OECD and UN-based Internet Government Forum.
We will work to achieve agreed an agreed international framework on the key issues of classification standards, access and complaints investigation.
Program of support, education and awareness
More than $9.2 million has been allocated to NetAlert to provide internet safety advice, a dedicated family support helpline and website.
And finally, many of you will be aware of the NetAlert ACMA School Outreach Programme which gives practical hands-on advice to parents, teachers and other carers of children through information sessions held for schools and community groups.
This programme has been allocated an additional $11.7 million over four years, which will effectively treble the impact of this programme.
The information campaign
The $22 million NetAlert information campaign aims to increase the public’s awareness about the potential risks online.
Importantly, it is also to inform the parents, grandparents and carers of children about internet safety and how to get support and assistance when it is needed, from services the Government has available.
The campaign includes print, television and radio advertising.
And, in following weeks, every Australian household will receive an information booklet providing practical online safety information and what parents can do to protect their families online.
Cyber Bullying
Today, I want to talk more specifically about Cyber Bullying.
Sadly, bullying has gone high-tech.
Online or cyber bullying is being carried out through email, chat rooms, discussion groups, social networking sites or instant messaging.
It can also include bullying through mobile phones and SMS.
In a recent study commissioned by the Government, one in five children aged 13 to 17 said they had seen or heard people bullying or abusing other people online.†
This is a serious problem, but parents can help to stop this kind of harassment.
It is up to us to talk to our children and young people about cyber bullying and to nip it in the bud, or at least recognise it when it occurs and put a stop to it quickly.
I would encourage everyone to talk to their children about how they behave online because cyber bullying can be just as damaging as physical bullying in the schoolyard.
There are practical steps parents can take to help their children manage cyber bullying.
Tell your children not to reply to bullying messages as this only encourages a dialogue and prolongs the problem.
It may be necessary to change your child’s contact details and get a new username for the internet, a new email account and a new mobile phone number which they only give out to their closest friends.
Remind your children to keep their user name and passwords secret so they do not fall into the hands of someone who could misuse them.
It may also be worth keeping a record of any worrying emails or online messages—including time and date—to help you—or the police—find out who is sending the messages.
Also, have a look at the Terms of Use policies on websites—in many cases, reporting bullying or threatening behaviour can result in a perpetrator’s account being deleted.
I would strongly advise that if messages are threatening or serious, get in touch with the police.
You should also contact your phone or internet service provider and report what is happening as they can help block messages or calls from certain senders.
The television commercials you saw earlier are part of a $22 million public awareness and education campaign to inform families and carers of children about online safety issues and provide information about where to go for and assistance.
The NetAlert information campaign—which I launched in Melbourne on Sunday—will run in the press, on television and on radio.
And in following weeks, all Australian households will receive an information booklet providing practical information on the key issues and what parents can do to protect their families online.
Conclusion
Our children are our most precious asset.
I cannot overstate my commitment, nor the determination of the Howard Government to protect our children from exposure to inappropriate online content or predatory contact.
And I am in no doubt that this programme puts Australia well and truly in front with a sophisticated and strategic response to online child protection.
I want to thank you all for attending this afternoon and for spreading the important messages that will help protect Australian families online.
Together, we can all ensure that the internet is a place where children can safely play, explore and learn.
Thank you