Online Safety Laws Six Months Late 
|
|
Thursday 15 November 2007 The Iemma Government’s new online safety laws announced today come almost six months after the NSW Coalition first proposed banning convicted sex offenders from Internet chat rooms, Shadow Minister for Youth Affairs Mike Baird said today. “We welcome new laws to protect children online and are pleased the Iemma Government has belatedly adopted the NSW Coalition’s plan to ban convicted sex offenders from Internet chat rooms,” Mr Baird said. “In May both myself and Shadow Attorney General Greg Smith SC proposed it become mandatory for sex offenders to supply police with their email addresses. “Internet and child safety experts including MySpace and Bravehearts endorsed this proposal at a forum convened by the NSW Coalition in August. “It was pleasing to see the Police Minister adopt this recommendation the day after our forum and we are hopeful the Iemma Government will consider taking up the forum’s other recommendations, including random computer checks of convicted sex offenders. “I have also written to the Police Commissioner to suggest identification checks be conducted at free Internet terminals. “This is currently done in Italy and it could stop Internet cafes being a safe haven for people who don’t want their Internet activity traced." In September a man was charged at Melbourne Airport for downloading child pornography at a free Internet terminal. Mr Baird said he first became concerned about Internet safety earlier this year when he found his 10-year-old daughter talking to a stranger online. “I recognised there were few measures in place to protect children online – most parents do not know what sites their children visit and where they are most vulnerable to predators. “A survey conducted in 2005 by Ninemsn and NetAlert found that out of almost 9,000 children, 40% of teenagers would potentially meet in person someone they had ‘met’ online while only 12% of teenagers said they would seek parental permission,” Mr Baird said. MEDIA: Lisa Harrington - 0406 726 880 Add to:          Write Comment
|
||||||
