Dana Wortley (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Coonan, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. I refer the minister to the investigation by the Australian Communications and Media Authority into a disturbing incident on the Big Brother program in July that was streamed live over the internet. Can the minister confirm that ACMA found that there is a loophole in the current law and that material streamed live over the internet is not regulated? Does the minister recall stating that legislation would be introduced at the earliest opportunity to ensure new internet services would be subject to the same content restrictions that apply to television? Can the minister explain to Australian families concerned about offensive internet content why this legislation has still not been introduced into the parliament? Will the minister guarantee that the legislation will be in place before the new series of Big Brother starts early in 2007?

Helen Coonan (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you to Senator Wortley for the question. In answer to the last part of her question, my understanding is that it will most certainly be in place before the next screening of Big Brother. As Senator Wortley may be aware, the government, well prior to the particular incident to which she alludes, had the authority, ACMA, conduct an inquiry into the extent to which live and streamed content over the internet was able to be regulated.

In fact, the review had identified some bases upon which the legislation could be strengthened—indeed, strengthened more broadly than just over the internet, but also over mobile telephones, particularly in relation to triple play. Clearly, in the circumstances, it is very important that the government be in a position where it can have the best possible legislation to deal with all possible ways in which the internet is evolving, without in any way impeding the freedom of the internet. We want to make sure that content on the net is appropriate and can only be accessed in appropriate ways.

So we have had this review as to convergent devices, and there will be some legislation introduced into the parliament, I think in the next sitting. The government takes very seriously the need for appropriate material on the internet, certainly in terms of streamed material. The legislation has been drafted; it is now being consulted on by industry. So far as I am aware, it will be introduced in February next year and, subject to the consultation that is currently underway, I am very confident that the government will have in place a scheme to deal with the emerging technology as it occurs.

Dana Wortley (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Can the minister confirm that the national internet filter scheme that she announced in June is still not in operation? Can the minister explain why the protection of Australian families from exposure to harmful internet content has been given such a low priority by this government? Why has the government failed to do all it can to protect Australian children from dangerous internet content?

Helen Coonan (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have actually been reminded by Senator Kemp, who I think lived through all of this, how absolutely extraordinary this is. It is very hard to take the Labor Party seriously on this issue. They are the same Labor senators who opposed all of the government’s attempts to protect Australian families from offensive content on the internet. The Labor Party even went as far as to oppose legislation to prevent the misuse of freedom of information to obtain access to the addresses of websites, including child pornography, that have been taken down by the regulator. The Labor Party should not be coming in here and trying to lecture this government about matters that we take very seriously and will continue to take seriously to protect children—(Time expired)