Media Conference - Launch of the ThinkUKnow Initiative
19 February 2010
Ithaca Creek State School
BRENDAN O’CONNOR: It is good to be here today in Ithaca Creek State School in Brisbane, with the Member for Brisbane Arch Bevis, with the Australian Federal Police commissioner Tony Negus and representatives from Microsoft Australia and Nine MSN in what is the launch of a very important initiative in protecting our children on line.
This initiative, ThinkUKnow, allows for parents, teachers and carers to be better informed about the dangers of the internet. This is a national initiative. This will be rolled out across the country providing an opportunity for those who provide care to children—whether they are parents, teachers or other carers—to learn more about the internet, to find out more about the potential dangers such as grooming and other threats that are out there. As we know, while the internet is a very important educational tool, while it’s a great source of entertainment for people, including for children, it also has potential risks—it is not a benign playground. For that reason we have to be ever vigilant.
That is why to Federal Government is behind this initiative. The ThinkUKnow initiative complements the recent legislation that we have introduced into the House of Representatives to protect children from predators and, in particular, to protect them from predators who use the internet for improper and illegal purposes.
I would like to thank the Australian Federal Police, Microsoft Australia and NineMSN who, of course, through their combined good work, will ensure that we get this message out.
QUESTION: Will this latest too raise public awareness? Is that what it is all about?
BRENDAN O’CONNOR: I think education is very important. What we do know is that parents and children do not always discuss every matter. We are aware that children sometimes go how from school, go straight to their bedroom, get onto the Internet—that’s not an unhealthy thing in itself. However, if they are not talking to their parents or their carers about potential problems or things that cause them discomfort on the Internet, then they are being placed in danger. The more that parents, teachers and carers know about the Internet, the more they engage with children about how they use the Internet, the safer our children will be.
QUESTION: Are parents in the dark a lot? Are they a different generation and failing to understand what the Internet really involves?
BRENDAN O’CONNOR: Clearly, children understand the on-line world better than many parents. That is not to say that there are not parents who have a good grasp of the Internet. There are many adults who are required to use the Internet as part of their day-to-day work life, and there are many who are on the Internet as part of their social life. It is true, though; that there will be circumstances in which children will be engaging in activity which the parents do not know about. If we open up the dialogue—if we ensure that the ThinkUKnow seminar, and the use of the website, provides an opportunity to raise awareness and to encourage greater engagement with children about their activities on the Internet—we can reduce the likelihood of them coming to harm. We can better protect our children.
QUESTION: Will this be rolled on in all schools across the country?
BRENDAN O’CONNOR: We are going to ensure that schools engage with this. It is a voluntary process; we have a number of trained volunteers who can provide seminars in schools. We have significant resources to put to this activity. It will, of course, be driven, in part by the level of demand that comes from the community. As we can see with this very good school, they understand the importance of this initiative. I am sure that other schools in Brisbane, in Queensland and across the rest of Australia will want to get involved.
QUESTION: Are mums and dads at home able to access this program?
BRENDAN O’CONNOR: That’s the other beauty of this initiative. Not only do we have seminars that will be held in schools by trained volunteers talking about the potential risks of the technology, but we also have a user-friendly website that will allow for on-line seminars for those parents and carers who are not in a position to attend school-based seminars.
QUESTION: Did the trial tell us anything about the initiative?
BRENDAN O’CONNOR: It is a very effective program. We piloted the program early last year. When it was completed we surveyed those who had participated. 96 per cent of those adults who had completed the program agreed that they knew more about the potential risks of the Internet than before they had commenced the program. They felt better placed to protect their children from the dangers of the Internet. From the results of the trial and the survey it was clear that the government, the AFP, Microsoft and NineMSN had to do more. That’s why we are launching this initiative today.
Question: How is this initiative aligned with other programs intended to protect children?
BRENDAN O’CONNOR: We have made it very clear that we need to take a whole-of-government approach to protecting our children. That is why we have toughened the offences for those who use the Internet to prey on children. There will be new offences and we have also increased the penalties for those people who engage in predatory behaviour. That bill is before the House, we hope that the opposition supports this very important legislation. We have a number of ways to protect our kids, we can not, and do not, rely upon one initiative to protect our kids. The ThinkUKnow initiative is one part of a suite of initiatives.
QUESTION: Is this the first school to take part in the initiative.
BRENDAN O’CONNOR: Ithaca Creek State School is indeed to first school to take part in the formal program. There have been other schools involved in the trial program. We are here today though, to launch the program, a very important national program.
QUESTION: How soon we this be available in schools across Australia?
BRENDAN O’CONNOR: As I have said, this is day one. We will expect to see other schools getting involved very shortly. Through the efforts of the AFP and Microsoft Australia and Nine MSN, this is going to be promoted very widely. We want to have as many schools involved in this program as quickly as possible. There is nothing more important that protecting our children and this program is a very important initiative in that regard.
QUESTION: On a different matter if I may Minister. There has been another boat load of asylum seekers. ASIO is tipped to get its charter expanded so that it can phone tap people smugglers. Is this something that will be done soon? And, what other measures will the government be implementing to stop people smugglers?
BRENDAN O’CONNOR: It is true that there has been another vessel that has been intercepted 22 nautical miles north of the Ashmore Islands late yesterday. That vessel is being taken to Christmas Island where the passengers will be assessed medically and, indeed, the security checks will be done, and their identity checked as well. That is the process we have taken and we will continue to do that. But what we do know of course is that there has been a thirty percent increase in the refugee population in the world since 2006. There are 42 million displaced persons. We are going to see, from time to time, surges in irregular arrivals. What we are seeing now is a surge, not as great a surge as occurred under the Howard Government. It is though, a challenge, a practical challenge for our customs and border protection personnel. We will continue to be vigilant to ensure that we do everything we can to dismantle the organised syndicates that are seeking to entice people onto what are, in many cases, dangerous vessels. The Australian Federal Police is working, for example, the Indonesian National Police, in dismantling syndicates and disrupting ventures in Indonesia, a transit country. We are working closely with Malaysia to ensure that they have laws to prosecute people smugglers. We are providing advice to Sri Lanka in having laws that are similar to our own in prosecuting people smugglers. Since September 2008 we have had more prosecutions of people smugglers than we have had in many a year.
In relation to anything that the intelligence agencies may be wanting to do; that’s not something that I can comment on. There are always considerations by agencies as to what we might do to prevent crime occurring, but there is no formal decision or determination regarding ASIO that I am aware of in that regard.
QUESTION: The Opposition say that they have been briefed on this and it is something that the government is considering—ASIO, wanting to phone tap people smugglers in Australia.
BRENDAN O’CONNOR: Well. The opposition should know—and I should say that this underlines the danger of electing an Abbott government—the opposition should know when they are briefed on national security matters their first phone call shouldn’t be to the media. These are matters related to very significant and sensitive issues. We are always considering what more we can do to protect our borders, to protect the integrity of out immigration system. What we don’t need is an irresponsible opposition seeking to get media stories up on very important issues. We will determine what we need to do, if we need to do more, but we will do so sensitively. And when we have made a decision will, of course, announce that publicly.
QUESTION: What impact will this arrival have on Christmas Island—the capacity of Christmas Island?
BRENDAN O’CONNOR: There has been a significant increase in arrivals over the last nine months. We still, though, have capacity on Christmas Island and we are expanding accommodation there, as Minister Evans has made clear. At this point we can maintain the processing of asylum claims on Christmas Island and that is what we are committed to.
Thank you everyone.
ENDS.
