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On behalf of Family First, I
rise to indicate our strong support for the honourable member's very sensible
bill. If members recall, Family First had a similar bill pass through this
place, and indeed through the whole parliament, back in 2007 which gave
judicial officers the power to include conditions regarding computer and
internet access as part of the paedophile restraining order regime as set out
in section 99AA of the Summary Procedures Act.
The current regime when
dealing with paedophiles, including the restraining order scheme, dates back
well over 10 years and did not originally envisage predatory behaviour
occurring online. Nowadays, of course, predatory behaviour by paedophiles
occurs to a significant extent online often with a view to meeting children
in the real world. Some behaviours occur exclusively
online—for instance, the circulation of child pornography. Whether or
not the practice extends beyond online interaction, it is a disgusting
practice and I am grateful that the honourable member is proposing that
registered offenders be required to submit further details regarding online
accounts and activities as part of their reporting regime.
Some statistics regarding online child
solicitation have been compiled by SentryPC, which
provides internet filtering technology. It notes that one in five US
teenagers who regularly log onto the internet say that they have received an
unwanted sexual solicitation via the web and that 75 per cent of
children say that they are willing to share online personal information about
themselves and their family in exchange for goods and services. I also note
that the Crimes Against Children Research Centre has found that only about 25
per cent of children who encounter sexual approach or solicitation actually told
a parent or adult. These are concerning statistics indeed.
Obviously, Family First
supports any appropriate measures to protect children online. It supports
internet filtering technology, which can be one layer of protection. The
honourable member, in this bill, proposes this further layer of protection,
which would enable police to keep a closer eye on the online activities of
offenders. It is a sensible proposal, we welcome it and it has the support of
Family First.
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