Cassandra Fernando (Holt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) recognises that the National Anti-Scam Centre's second quarterly report shows that scam losses from October to December 2023 reduced by 43 per cent from the same quarter in 2022, and 26 per cent from the July to September 2023 quarter;

(2) observes that these results are a complete reversal of the trend, which saw scam losses double and double again between 2019 and 2022; and

(3) commends the Government for delivering on its commitment to combat scams and online fraud by investing $86.5 million in a coordinated, whole-of-government approach, including:

(a) establishing the National Anti-Scam Centre under the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission;

(b) launching Australia's first SMS Sender ID registry to prevent scammers imitating trusted brands; and

(c) boosting Australian Securities and Investments Commission's investment scam disruption activities, enabling it to identify and take down investment scam and phishing websites.

Our embrace of digital technology in this modern world is remarkable, but it does not come without challenges. Among the most difficult of them is the increased penetration of scams via calls, text, links and emails. While anyone can be the victim of a scam, I am sure most in this chamber have accidentally opened a message thinking it was actually sent by Australia Post or CommBank.

We know that scams disproportionately impact vulnerable Australians. Last year, it was reported that people aged 65 and over made the most reports and lost more money than any other age group. In addition, nearly 10 per cent of total reported losses were from people of CALD backgrounds and almost six per cent were people with disability. In a split second, people in our community lose anywhere between hundreds of dollars and thousands of dollars, often forever. In fact, the average loss from a scam is around $20,000—a significant loss, especially considering the average household has about $34,000 in savings.

When the Albanese government took office in May 2022, Australians were losing over $3 billion a year to scams. I am proud that the Albanese government was bold in its approach to fight scammers and has followed through on its ambitious election commitment. In last year's budget alone, the government allocated $86.5 million towards reducing this modern menace. A significant chunk of this funding was directed towards the establishment of the National Anti-Scam Centre, or NASC, which is the government's primary weapon to detect, disrupt and deter scammers and also to tackle online fraud. It's a world-leading partnership between government, agencies, banks, telcos and digital platforms that leverages combined expertise in cutting-edge technology to share intelligence to interrupt scams in real time.

For example, in January, the NASC reported that one consumer was alerted to an impostor bond scam identified by a fusion cell, prior to transferring around $300,000. Thankfully, the consumer received a warning and discovered that he was being conned during the late stage of the scam. NASC is also tasked with raising consumer awareness on the risks of scams and how to avoid them, a role it takes very seriously. Even within a year of commencement, the NASC is delivering results. Since it was established, in July last year, scam losses have reduced significantly. This is a positive sign that the Albanese government's plan to crack down on scammers is working. Notably, the NASC's recent quarterly report shows that scam losses from October to December 2023 reduced by 43 per cent compared to the same quarter in 2022. This is a complete reversal of the trend which saw scam losses double and double again between 2019 and 2022.

In addition, the budget made funding available to establish Australia's first SMS Sender ID Registry to help prevent scammers from imitating trusted industry or government brand names, meaning we will know that a text is from myGov or Australia Post only if the text message header reflects that. The funding also boosted work by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission to identify and take down investment scam websites, and ASIC has taken down over 5,000 websites since July last year.

While these strides in ensuring e-safety and combatting scams are significant, the government is aware that there is more to do. As a result, the Albanese government has committed to introducing tough new codes which will require businesses to have measures in place to prevent and report scams. In addition, the onus is on us as members of parliament to drive awareness of scams and provide tips for their prevention within our communities.

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