Government launches project to define Australian cyber-safety environment

More information required on kids' safety on the internet

The Federal Government has announced a new research project to track the awareness of kids’ cyber-safety and security issues.

The project, which will be undertaken by the Wollongong University’s Illawarra Regional Information Service (IRIS) and the Australian Council for Educational Research, will build on the Review of Existing Australian and International Cyber-safety Research from Edith Cowan University. The research found significant gaps in many areas of cyber safety research.

The aim of the new project is to develop a reliable and nationally representative data collection methodology. In the first half of 2010, IRIS the Australian Council for Educational Research will undertake two surveys of young internet users, a survey for parents and guardians and one for teachers.

The research will complement and inform the important work of the Consultative Working Group and Youth Advisory Group on Cyber-Safety, according to the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy. It will also assist the cyber-safety initiatives of the Australian Communications and Media Authority and the Australian Federal Police.

The project is part of the governments $125.8 million [[xref: www.dbcde.gov.au/cybersafetyplan |cyber-safety plan] which includes:

  • $49 million for an additional 91 AFP online child protection officers
  • $11.3 million for the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions
  • Resources such as help-lines and the CyberSmart website
  • ISP filtering
  • Consultative arrangements with industry, children and child protection bodies, and research to identify possible areas for further action.

More about: Australian Federal Police, Cowan, Edith Cowan University, Edith Cowan University, Federal Police, IRIS
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Comments

1

Anonymous

Thu 26/11/2009 - 14:33

Here we go again (or still) -

Here we go again (or still) - "won't somebody think of the children" is likely to be the predictable approach from the govt-appointed groups in this exercise.

If so, the government will probably then announce action to introduce secret censorship of whatever they consider "inappropriate". Any future govt will have the power to ban opposing points of view, but we will never know what has been banned, because that's a secret.

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