Cybersafety plan
The internet is an essential tool for all Australians, including children. It is an integral part of our economic and social activities, and a vast resource of information, education and entertainment.
The ability to use online tools effectively provides both a skill for life and the means to acquire new skills.
While the internet has created substantial benefits for children, it has also exposed them to a number of dangers, including exposure to illegal and prohibited content.
Parents rightly expect the Australian Government to play its part in helping protect children online.
Cybersafety commitment
In May 2008 the Australian Government committed $125.8 million over four years to a comprehensive cybersafety plan to combat online risks and help parents and educators protect children from inappropriate material. Measures include increased funding towards cybersafety education and awareness raising activities, content filtering and law enforcement.
The government’s commitment to cybersafety includes:
- expanding the Australian Federal Police (AFP) Child Protection Operations Team to detect and investigate online child sex exploitation
- funding to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions to manage increased activity resulting from the AFP work to ensure that prosecutions are handled quickly
- funding to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (the ACMA) to:
- implement a comprehensive range of cybersafety education activities including improving current government
cybersafety website resources, make them easier for parents to use, and to provide up-to-date information,
- implement an online helpline to provide a quick and easy way for children to report online incidents that cause them
concern.
- developing and implementing ISP filtering, which included undertaking a real world live pilot
- expanding the Consultative Working Group that considers the broad range of cybersafety issues and advises government to ensure properly-developed and targeted policy initiatives
- forming a Youth Advisory Group to provide advice to the Consultative Working Group on cybersafety issues from a young person’s perspective
- ongoing cybersafety research into the changing digital environment to identify issues and target future policy and funding.
See more information at:
AFP Child Protection Operations Team
