Nola Marino (Forrest, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

As the member says, it is easy for me to say—so I challenge him to do the same.

When we talk about the education of the next generation of Australians, I really want to point out the desperate need for education on cybersafety. When we talk about education needs of Australian students, cybersafety education must be part of the conversation. Our young people are at risk. With the advances in the science of communication and of the internet, this risk continues to grow. We can no longer afford to sit on our hands while our young people remain at risk. I believe the major way to effectively protect people from such a risk is education. This is a national problem that needs a national coordinated solution. Everything that I have seen and done on this issue tells me that education of our great young people is the real key. I saw a recent report from Europe that revealed that, of the 30 countries and regions that participated in a study, online safety education is included on the school curricula of 24. The UK has cybersafety in its national curriculum and starts the program at five years of age. The threat is real and looms large, and our response needs to be rapid and effective.

Debate interrupted.

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