The Opposition has come out vowing that it will establish a Royal Commission into robo-debt by the end of the year, while the government is offering boosted eSafety capabilities and legislating the lapsed anti-trolling Bill.
Investing over AU$33 million to enhance eSafety capabilities and legislating the proposed anti-trolling laws are just some of the policies the Coalition government has pledged to follow up if it is re-elected at the upcoming federal election on May 21. Specifically, the policy includes AU$23 million to raise awareness of the eSafety Commissioner’s support for Australian schools, provide training programs for teachers, improve online safety resources for schools, and enhance support for schools with external online safety providers. It also includes an additional AU$10 million for the eSafety Commission to further expand coordination with other regulatory and law enforcement agencies, ensuring victims “tell-us-once” and are supported with the right service. Additionally, the Morrison government said it will continue to stick with legislating proposed anti-trolling laws, touting that it will ensure social media companies are held accountable, while Australians are given more power to deal with harmful defamatory comments from anonymous trolls. Read: Inman Grant’s reappointment as eSafety commissioner comes with new powers The proposed laws, however, have been blasted by senators, online abuse victims, and organisations including the eSafety Commission for being too hard to access and unclear, and would require more work if it is to become law. The government said it also wants to introduce a binding industry code under the Online Safety Act to ensure smartphones and tablet devices have “strong” parental controls installed that are easier to find and activate — and harder for kids to bypass — if industry does not act within 12 months. An additional AU$2 million has also been earmarked under the Online Safety Grants to benefit online safety projects that support women and girls in culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
