The Federal Government will make it harder for young people to access pornography as it grapples with the misogyny underpinning the increase in men’s violence against women.
A new pilot of age assurance technology will be funded in the May budget to protect children from harmful content, like pornography and other age-restricted online services.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the pilot was part of a suite of measures to address easy access to pornography for children and young people and tackle extreme online misogyny, which was fuelling harmful attitudes towards women.
A recent report found the rate of females murdered by partners had increased by almost 30 percent in the past year.
The pilot will identify available age assurance products to protect children from online harm, and test their efficacy, including in relation to privacy and security.
The outcomes would inform the existing work of Australia’s eSafety Commissioner under the Online Safety Act – including through the development of industry codes or standards – to reduce children’s exposure to age-inappropriate material.
Prime Minister Albanese said legislation would also be introduced to ban the creation and non-consensual distribution of deepfake pornography.
He said digitally created and altered sexually explicit material was a damaging form of abuse against women and girls that could inflict deep harm on victims.
“The reforms will make clear that creating and sharing sexually explicit material without consent, using technology like artificial intelligence will be subject to serious criminal penalties.”
A new phase of the Stop it at the Start program will launch in mid-June, providing a counter-influencing campaign in online spaces where violent and misogynistic content thrives, with the aim of challenging the material in the spaces it’s being viewed.
“The campaign is intended to counter the corrosive influence of online content targeted at young adults that condones violence against women,” Prime Minister Albanese said.
He said research showed 25 percent of teenage boys in Australia looked up to social media personalities who perpetuated harmful gender stereotypes.
“Social media algorithms can undermine gender equality by pushing misogynistic content that normalises sexist attitudes in young people. There is also growing concern around the role of violent online pornography in normalising gendered violence within the Australian community.”
The May budget will also fund a five-year $925 million program to help woman escape domestic violence.
“Those eligible will be able to access up to $5000 in financial support along with referral services, risk assessments, and safety planning,” Prime Minister Albanese said.
In August, the Government plans to table legislation to outlaw the release of private information online with an intent to cause harm (known as doxxing) and overhaul the Privacy Act to give Australians, and particularly women who are experiencing domestic and family violence, greater control and transparency over their personal information.
