Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Attorney-General. What action is the Albanese Labor government taking to combat the serious harm being caused by the sharing of sexually explicit deepfake materials?

Mark Dreyfus (Isaacs, Australian Labor Party, Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Newcastle for her question. Digitally created and altered sexually explicit material that is shared without consent is a damaging and deeply distressing form of abuse. We know that this abuse overwhelmingly targets women and girls. It inflicts deep, long-lasting harm on victims, it perpetuates harmful gender stereotypes and it contributes to gender based violence.

In recent years, the distribution of sexual material created or altered using technology has become increasingly common, and the risk of abuse is growing as artificial intelligence programs become more widely accessible. The Albanese government has no tolerance for this form of insidious criminal behaviour. Today I introduced legislation to create new criminal offences to ban the sharing of non-consensual sexually explicit deepfake material online. The Albanese government's reforms will make clear that those who share sexually explicit material without consent using technology like artificial intelligence will be subject to serious criminal penalties. It will impose a maximum penalty of six years imprisonment for the sharing of non-consensual deepfake sexually explicit material. Where the person also created the deepfake that is shared without consent, this will carry a higher penalty of seven years imprisonment as an aggravated offence.

These penalties will assist in protecting vulnerable people from serious online harm and deter and punish this abusive and damaging behaviour. Given the significant and continuing harm that is being caused by this abusive behaviour, I look forward to the full support of the parliament for these reforms. The Albanese government continues to deliver on its commitment to end violence against women, to tackle the scourge of online harm and to keep Australians safe.