Nita Green (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am really pleased to speak on this matter today. I am very pleased that we are getting a chance to talk about something that really does affect particularly views about women in our country and about what our government is doing to tackle some of these issues. The Albanese government is committed to minimising the harm that comes from children accessing content online that is not appropriate for them. We are taking a multifaceted approach to this risk, with measures both delivered and underway to address underage access to adult content.

But I think the place to start is the damage that can occur. That's why it is so important that our government is acting. We know that the national plan to end violence against women and children highlight the risks of pornography in driving harmful behaviours against women and children. It states that pornography can depict physical and verbal aggression towards women, male dominance and female submission and nonconsensual behaviours. The relationship is complex, but research suggests that there are links between people's use of this material and their attitudes about relationships, sex and men and women's roles and identities. It is also associated with victim-blaming attitudes, such as the belief that, if a woman is affected by alcohol or drugs, she is at least partly responsible for what might happen to her. Viewing pornographic material that showcases violence can have a negative impact on a young person's development, as Senator Payman pointed out. With regard to their wellbeing and relationships, it can influence their attitude and beliefs about sex, intimacy and consent. This is a serious concern, and addressing the drivers of violence against women and children is of paramount importance to our government.

We also know that parents and families are concerned about these types of materials and the access that children have to them. While access to adult content for people over 18 years of age is legal, it is not legal to allow minors to access it. It's the responsibility of the government to support parents and children in the community to prevent access to age-restricted products.

That's why our government is working to deliver $6.5 million in the 2024-25 budget to conduct a trial of age assurance technologies to protect children from harmful online content, including on social media, and age-restricted content, such as pornography. Funding for the trial was announced on 1 May 2024 by the Prime Minister following a meeting of National Cabinet on gender based violence. The eSafety Commissioner is requiring industry to develop codes to protect Australian children from access or exposure to online pornography. If the materials that are provided by the industry are not good enough, the eSafety Commissioner is empowered to develop mandatory industry standards that the industry will be required to comply with or face hefty fines.

These two codes that the eSafety Commissioner is developing are aimed at protecting Australian children from access and exposure to online pornography and other class 2 material. More broadly, phase 2 codes should ensure that Australian end users have effective tools and options to limit their exposure to class 2 material if they choose not to engage with it.

The eSafety Commissioner has also published guidance for parents and families on navigating conversations around pornography with young people. The Albanese government shares the view of the senator for Western Australia: pornography can negatively impact a young person's mental health. That's exactly why we are taking this action. The eSafety Commissioner's reporting acknowledges that, while parents tend to underestimate the frequency of their children's exposure to online risks such as pornography, children see their parents as an important source of support to them. So I urge all senators and indeed all parents to avail themselves of the evidence based resources that the eSafety Commissioner has produced with leading experts in child development.

Finally, I want to mention some of the other work our government has delivered in this space. I'm very proud that on top of all of the reforms and the trial we are delivering, last year the Albanese government successfully passed legislation to ban the sharing of non-consensual deepfake, sexually explicit material. This behaviour is now a crime. Digitally created and altered sexually explicit material that is shared without consent is damaging and distressing, and we know that it overwhelmingly affects women. That is why we have no tolerance for this sort of behaviour and that is why it is now a crime.