(Transcript from World News Radio)
A new independent statutory office for enhancing online safety for children looks set to be introduced soon.
With bipartisan support, the proposal for a Children's e-Safety Commissioner is moving quickly through federal parliament.
Van Nguyen has the details.
(Click on the audio tab above to hear the full report)
The federal government says this is the first legislation specifically to address cyber-bullying.
It says the Children's e-Safety Commissioner will help address the gap between the issues that are able to be resolved by schools, and those that are of a criminal nature that can be dealt with by police.
The e-Safety Commissioner will have the power to order social media services like Twitter to quickly remove cyberbullying material.
Liberal Party Senator, Zed Seselja commends the legislation.
"The government believes it is important to have a dedicated Children's e-Safety Commissioner so that there are extra protections for children who are more vulnerable in this space. This sort of extra protection for children exists in many other spheres and it is appropriate that it is also the case for online safety. The measures in this legislation are intended to work in conjunction with existing law and initiatives available to all Australians who may face online safety issues."
Labor Party Senator, Helen Polley, says children's safety must take precedence over any concerns over freedom of expression.
"Some people may object to the increase in the regulation of the internet and social media content based on the fact that they feel that it intrudes on their liberty and freedom of expression. But rest assured that we in this chamber believe that these steps are necessary. When it comes to questioning whether it is impinging on someone's freedom of expression, then I say children must always come first and the safety of our children must be foremost in our minds."
Australian Greens Senator Penny Wright told the Senate, cyberbullying is a continuing problem.
"I think this whole discussion and concern about cyberbullying and bullying generally in what is often an increasingly toxic debate in our society is reason for pause to think. A pause to think about what sort of society we want to promote. What sort of resilience and wellbeing are we wanting to promote among our young people? They are our future. It is so important that they feel valued that we create a setting where young people can feel proud to be who they are in their own unique identities. That they're not criticised, that they're not undermined, that they're not devalued. Whatever that is, wherever they live, whatever their background and whatever their identity."
But Liberal Democratic Party Senator David Leyonhjelm opposes the move.
"This bill, like so much of the legislation supported by the major parties in this place, mistakes the state for civil society. In this instance, the mistake is born of a desire to 'protect the children', a cry that is too often turned into an excuse to restrict everyone's liberties. The bill implements a commitment to deal with electronic posts that bully an Australian child. It creates a new bureaucracy costing eleven million dollars per year, introduces civil penalties of up to 17-thousand dollars for social media sites that do not promptly remove material as directed, and facilitates injunctions on bullies. The injunctions will mandate a requirement to apologise."
During debate on the legislation, Liberal Senator David Fawcett also raised the danger to children of sexual predators approaching them online.
And he told the Senate there was a further emerging danger to young people using social media.
"It also, though, goes significantly, as we have seen in recent days, to the issue of radicalising and also luring young people to be engaged with terror activities. Just in the last month, we have seen quite a bit of media about the three young British girls, 15- and 16-year-olds, who have been lured to leave their homes in England and travel via Turkey to the Middle East. The reporting from the British authorities, after consulting with previous young girls who have previously been lured down this path, indicates that Daesh are using social media tools like Twitter, Facebook and Ask.fm as recruitment channels."
The e-Safety Commissioner legislation was passed by the Senate.
