Rebekha Sharkie (Mayo, Centre Alliance) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to support the Enhancing Online Safety (Non-consensual Sharing of Intimate Images) Bill 2018. This bill criminalises the non-consensual sharing of intimate images and complements the earlier legislation passed by this House and by the parliament, the Enhancing Online Safety for Children Amendment Act 2017. I wish to use this opportunity to express my deep thanks and gratitude to my colleague, former Senator Skye Kakoschke-Moore, whose contributions to the development of both bills were meaningful, heartfelt and significant. This was certainly an issue very close to the senator's heart.

In relation to the previous bill, I spoke about the frequency of image based abuse in our society and the severity of its impact, and I'll briefly revisit and summarise those remarks. I noted that, sadly, the frequency of non-consensual sharing of intimate images, more controversially known as revenge porn, is increasing in Australia. I referred to an RMIT study that found that an astonishing one in five Australians have experienced image based abuse. The study found that people who were disabled, Indigenous Australians and younger Australians were more likely to be victims, although the issue does affect many Australians from all corners of our society. Women and men are equally likely to report being a victim, but women are more likely than men to fear for their safety due to image based abuse.

The non-consensual sharing of intimate images causes real harm, not only to women but predominantly to women. It stigmatises victims, destroys social relationships, causes great anxiety and distress and leads to serious mental health issues. Despairingly, in some cases, these acts have led to self-harm and to people taking their own lives. Although revenge pornography has been the focus of most of the attention, the non-consensual sharing of images, as some fellow honourable members have mentioned today, is often used by perpetrators as a means of blackmail and control, to extract money, disrupt relationships and compel unwanted sexual acts. The same RMIT study found that four in five Australians agree it should be a crime to share sexual or nude images without permission. It is no surprise that the level of support for criminalisation is so high.

I commend the parliament for working together to ensure that these atrocious acts become criminal offences. The government's amendments to this bill are a compromise. While the amendments do not introduce the additional offences proposed by Centre Alliance to specifically target image based abuse, they do build on and strengthen existing offences to punish those who use technology to share private sexual material. I strongly urge the parliament to support this bill.

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