Media Statement - 3rd September 2005
Violent and pornographic Internet sites are threatening Australian family values.
The Howard Government must act now to stop Australian children being exposed to explicit violence and pornography on the Internet.
As a father and grandfather, I am deeply concerned about the material that children can access on the Internet unchecked - from explicit pornography to violent criminal activity and terrorism.
After nine long years, the Howard Government needs to do more to assist parents, who do not want their children exposed to such damaging material.
Sometimes, modern technology can make parenting a little harder. Many parents and grandparents are not as computer literate as their kids and grandkids.
Access to these websites undermines the ability of parents and schools to teach respect for Australian values to our children.
The Howard Government should subsidise the cost of filtering software to protect Australian children from this obscene and brutal Internet material.
Good quality filtering software presently retails for around $60. The Government should subsidise this with a one-off $30 rebate.
There are approximately 1.5 million Australian family computers connected to the Internet and Labor calls on the Howard Government to provide this rebate to help families install Internet filters.
The software can prevent children from accessing violent and pornographic websites and give parents some peace of mind that their children are not being exposed to this highly damaging material.
Sunday, 4 September, 2005
Internet Usage - A Family Concern
The Australian Broadcasting Authority reports that:
- More than nine out of ten parents have reported an issue of concern about their child's use of the Internet
- Almost two-thirds of parents say their child's exposure to pornography is a concern - 40 per cent of parents said this was their main concern
- 37 per cent of parents said their child communicating with strangers online was an issue of concern, with one in five parents saying this was their biggest concern
- Approximately one in five children said exposure to pornography and online communication with strangers were issues of concern
- Two in five children said they had accidentally found a website their parents would prefer them not to see, with one in five saying this had occurred more than once
- More than one in five children said they had been contacted or sent messages by people they did not know
- Almost two-thirds of parents do not have Internet filters on their family computers
Source: Australian Broadcasting Authority-commissioned survey - "Kidsonline@home: Internet Use in Australian Homes" (22 April 2005)