Dai Le (Fowler, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

We've just heard from members in the House today about the rise of scams and the devastating impact they have on individuals. Across my electorate of Fowler and, as we've heard, across the country, we are hearing about people falling victim to phishing and spoofing scams, with scammers impersonating organisations such as banks and providers to access their money and steal their identity. Some of the stories are just horrific.

A constituent came to see me distressed that she had lost $50,000 from a bank account shared with her family. This was her whole entire life savings gone. As you can imagine this financial setback led to significant mental distress and psychological anguish as she struggled to find support and plan forward. Another constituent was scammed out of $49,000 which was intended to be used for a knee replacement surgery for her mum. We are talking about people who have worked so hard to save this kind of money and, suddenly, it's all gone. Not only did this constituent lose money but it also impacted on her ability to work due to mental stress and, as you can only imagine, the shock. In addition, she didn't know where to turn to and there was limited support to recall these funds, which left her overwhelmingly troubled and plagued with uncertainty.

A Vietnamese-speaking constituent requested assistance after losing $200,000 from her joint bank account with her husband. She was distraught and contacted our office daily, seeking updates and further information. In aiding and facilitating communication between the constituent and the Australian Financial Complaints Authority, our office had to provide translation of the responses since she was unable to read and understand them herself.

These stories are just a few I wanted to share, but there are hundreds, if not thousands, more. They are now becoming so normal it's scary. How can we trust to share our information with institutions or to put our money in banks if these scam stories are popping up daily? Even on my own phone I get text messages from strange mobile numbers asking me to click on links either because so-called Australia Post has failed to deliver a parcel or I have failed to pay my Linkt toll account.

In my Fowler electorate, home to more than 170,000 constituents, with over 150 ethnicities, my constituents are becoming highly susceptible to fraud and spoofing scams. Therefore I strongly call on the government to ensure that customised assistance and financial education be made available to non-English-speaking communities. With the cost-of-living crisis, many constituents in my area are desperate to get out of debt and alleviate their financial burdens. Much of the Fowler area falls within the first quintile of the Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage, the lowest score, which indicates that the suburbs in Fowler are more disadvantaged and vulnerable to cost-of-living pressures compared to other electorates. Many scammers exploit this vulnerability and target individuals seeking relief from the rising costs of bills.

I have raised my concerns with the Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services about the need to tighten our privacy laws to prevent or at least de-escalate the rise in scams—in particular, how our personal data is harvested and sold on to third parties. I want to thank the minister for his time and engagement with me on the matter, especially when it comes to providing assistance to our culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

I also recognise that the National Anti-Scam Centre has made significant strides in collaborating with law enforcement, governments and consumer groups to combat scams in Australia. I acknowledge that the National Anti-Scam Centre is a substantial step forward to addressing the gaps of protecting individuals from scammers. However, I must point out that there are still shortcomings regarding the language component. These scams are becoming more of a prominent presence in my Fowler community, and, with our demographic mostly consisting of non-English-speaking migrants, action must be undertaken to reduce the barriers to accessibility, starting with addressing the linguistic challenges.

As long as I'm in this House, I will continue to work and advocate for a stronger focus on providing in-language assistance to those that struggle with understanding English, especially when it comes to our legislation. I emphasise that there must be a focus on inclusivity in education and that awareness of emerging scams be made available and accessible to both English-speaking and non-English-speaking citizens. It is my belief that, if this pain point is adequately addressed, constituents in my area will be better protected from scammers seeking to exploit them.

See this speech in context