Senator the Hon Helen Coonan

Minister for Communications,

Information Technology

and the Arts

kidsonline@home

Launch—Internet Usage Report

Sydney

Friday 22 April 2005

Thank you Kaaren [Koomen, NetAlert Director] and Jane [Marquard, Board Member ABA].

Good morning everyone, it’s a pleasure to be here to launch a report that will be of great benefit to Australian families, and indeed the whole community.

Use of the Internet continues to grow apace not just in the business sector but also in Australian homes.

And with the uptake of broadband – people are using the Internet more often and for longer periods.

Parents and children can now use the net to check out holiday destinations, bank online, research a school project, and of course, send emails to friends and loved ones.

As Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, I am committed to making sure that Australians are protected from exposure to illegal and offensive content online.

And this is particularly important for our children.

Government Action

The Australian Government is committed to safety and security, and the online environment is no exception.

It is my role as Minister to ensure that the policies and activities that address Internet use are beneficial and effective.

In an industry of great change this can be quite a challenge.

But it’s one that I relish.

Since the Online Content Scheme commenced in 2000, the Australian Government has built an effective framework that allows the Internet environment to grow and develop, while also placing requirements on the Internet industry to protect all users, especially our children, from the potential dangers online.

A review of the scheme was completed last year. This review found that many aspects of it are highly regarded, including the complaints mechanism administered by the ABA, the referral of serious material to relevant police bodies or overseas hotlines, and the community education programs provided by the ABA and NetAlert.

These activities are helping to address safety and security issues, and are also helping the community to feel some level of control and empowerment when dealing with illegal and offensive online material.

These are smart skills for people to have, particularly parents.

The Australian Government is working hard to educate users and empower them with the right tools to overcome Internet crime.

We fund the ABA and NetAlert to deliver programs and education strategies for ensuring safety online.

And we’ve recently committed an additional $2 million to NetAlert to undertake the National CyberSafe Program.

The Cybersafe Program is a two year training roadshow and information campaign on Internet safety aimed at parents, teachers and community groups that will complement the education programs being conducted by the Australian Federal Police (AFP).

And I understand from NetAlert that they will be kicking off this campaign shortly.

We’ve also introduced new laws that target people who access, supply and transmit child pornography on the net.

Such offences include harsh penalties of up to 10 years imprisonment.

These laws took effect on 1 March 2005 and also require Internet Service Providers and Internet Content Hosts to report material they have reasonable grounds to believe is child pornography to the AFP.

Under the legislation, Internet Service Providers and Internet Content Hosts face fines of $11,000 for individuals or $55,000 for corporations if they are aware their services have been used to access child pornography and do not refer it to police within a reasonable time.

It’s strong measures such as these that are clear evidence of our commitment to Internet safety.

Another way the Australian Government is addressing cyber crime is through strategic research and development.

In order to better respond to the risks associated with Internet use, we need information that is up to date.

And this brings me to the reason why we’re here today.

The Report

The latest Internet Usage report provides vital information about the current Internet safety strategies and needs of Australian families.

This quality report has been prepared by the ABA and NetAlert, and investigates attitudes and behaviours associated with home Internet use, particularly among children aged eight to 13 years and their parents.

The study has come up with some very interesting findings, and without going into too much detail, I’d like to highlight just some of the key outcomes.

It seems that the issue of greatest concern for parents in relation to their children’s use of the Internet remains online pornography which was raised by 40 percent of parents, followed by communication with strangers at 22 percent.

These are very serious issues – but it’s a positive finding that parents are at least of aware of these dangers, and that they have concerns about them.

The next course is to help parents take action to protect their children – so its particularly pleasing to note that 79 percent of parents surveyed recalled having received information relating to Internet safety, and that they’re keen to learn more about these issues, including what action to take to protect their children.

Through the range of initiatives that I’ve mentioned before we are equipping parents with the necessary knowledge and the skills so that they can ensure their children have a safe Internet experience.

On a more positive note, the study found that almost all or 99 percent of parents view the Internet to be of benefit for their children, particularly for schoolwork and study.

Certainly I think things would have been a lot easier if I’d had Google when I was studying!

The Internet can be a great source of fun and learning but we need to make sure it’s also safe.

The findings from this study provide important information from which the ABA and NetAlert can fine tune existing and develop new Internet safety programs.

And I guarantee that the Australian Government is working hard to ensure that great technology like the net can be used safely and securely in all Australian homes.

It’s important that we continue to keep pace with the issues so we can outfox the offenders.

I’d like to thank everyone involved in conducting this research and I recommend the report as a must read for the whole community.

Conclusion

It’s now my great pleasure to launch the report kidsonline@home.

Thank you.