Barnaby Joyce (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, the Hon. Senator Coonan. In today’s modern world parents are confronted with an ever-increasing challenge to keep their children safe and protected. Will the minister outline to the Senate measures taken by the Howard-Vaile government to assist parents in this most critical responsibility, and is the minister aware of any alternative policies?

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

I thank Senator Joyce for the question and I also thank him for his willingness to act as a special NetAlert ambassador in his home state of Queensland, because nothing matters more to Australian parents than the safety of their children. People are concerned for both the physical safety and the emotional wellbeing of their children. Increasingly, parents are also worried about the way in which the online world impacts upon their family. While the internet is a wonderful tool that can educate, entertain and inform, parents are also realising that it can allow strangers to enter their home and their child’s bedroom, leaving them feeling very vulnerable and at risk. This is why the Howard government has invested over $189 million into NetAlert program to give parents the best protection we can provide when it comes to keeping their children safe online.

I recently launched the NetAlert program with the Prime Minister, and the response from families, family organisations, child welfare advocates and the broader community has been outstanding. NetAlert is an ambitious and comprehensive program aimed to give parents the tools to manage their families’ internet experience as well as tough new policing and enforcement measures. As well as the $84.8 million National Filter Scheme to provide every Australian family with a free PC or home-computer filter or an ISP-filtered service, the NetAlert program has been significantly strengthened to include over $43 million for the Australian Federal Police Online Child Sex Exploitation Team to double the number of police who monitor the internet and track down paedophiles; more funding for the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions so that when they are found they are prosecuted and put away; over $11 million to boost the number of internet safety officers visiting schools to give parents hands-on internet information about internet dangers; over $22 million for a comprehensive public information and awareness campaign about internet safety; the establishment of a special working group between the Australian Federal Police and industry to tackle the handling of social networking sites where predators often seek to target the young and vulnerable; and an investigation into how we might best use the register of child sex offenders to monitor online use.

The Howard government is serious about protecting children. That is why we have a well funded and whole-of-government response to internet safety. In fact, many of our measures are leading edge and I am not aware of a more comprehensive program anywhere in the world. The National Filter Scheme that will go live on Monday, 20 August will provide every Australian family with assistance with a filter that has been independently tested to tackle offensive web content and, critically, chat room and email traffic.

I was asked about alternative policies and, unfortunately, I have to conclude that the Labor Party does not take internet safety seriously and is not interested in practical help for parents. They are more interested in Kevin07 stunts, whereas parenting is a very tough job in today’s modern world. Parents want real assistance to help them keep their children safe, not a stunt. The Howard government are prepared to put our money where our mouth is and to step up to the plate to protect Australian families online.