Australian Government Cyber-Safety Inquiry

Roar is preparing a submission to the Government’s Joint Select Committee on Cyber-Safety, due 25 June 2010. The terms of reference for the submission are as follows.

(a) That a Joint Select Committee on Cyber-Safety be appointed to inquire into and report on:

• 1. the online environment in which Australian children currently engage, including key physical points of access (schools, libraries, internet cafes, homes, mobiles) and stakeholders controlling or able to influence that engagement (governments, parents, teachers, traders, internet service providers, content service providers);
  2. the nature, prevalence, implications of and level of risk associated with cyber-safety threats, such as:
     • abuse of children online (cyber-bullying, cyber-stalking and sexual grooming);
     • exposure to illegal and inappropriate content;
     • inappropriate social and health behaviours in an online environment (e.g. technology addiction, online promotion of anorexia, drug usage, underage drinking and smoking);
     • identity theft; and
     • breaches of privacy;
  3. Australian and international responses to current cyber-safety threats (education, filtering, regulation, enforcement) their effectiveness and costs to stakeholders, including business;
  4. opportunities for cooperation across Australian stakeholders and with international stakeholders in dealing with cyber-safety issues;
  5. examining the need to ensure that the opportunities presented by, and economic benefits of, new technologies are maximised;
  6. ways to support schools to change their culture to reduce the incidence and harmful effects of cyber-bullying including by:
     • increasing awareness of cyber-safety good practice;
     • encouraging schools to work with the broader school community, especially parents, to develop consistent, whole school approaches; and
     • analysing best practice approaches to training and professional development programs and resources that are available to enable school staff to effectively respond to cyber-bullying;
  7. analysing information on achieving and continuing world’s best practice safeguards;
  8. the merit of establishing an Online Ombudsman to investigate, advocate and act on cyber-safety issues; and

(b) Such other matters relating to cyber-safety referred by the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy or either House.