LAUNCH OF THINKUKNOW IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA
4 May 2010
Media Conference - Connolly Primary School, Connolly
Subject: Launch of ThinkUKnow in Western Australia
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: We're at Connolly Primary School today in Perth to launch the ThinkUKnow program, a very important initiative for bringing together the Australian Federal Police, Microsoft, and other proud sponsors, including NINEMSN. They are working together with schools to provide a better level of education about what kids get involved in online.
We need to provide better information to parents about how they can be alert to the potential risks and dangers associated with online technology. The internet is a wonderful tool, it's a fantastic educative tool, it's a fantastic place for social engagement. But the internet is not a benign playground. There are potential risks.
We do know people seek to harm children in our society. They seek to procure and groom children. Therefore we need to be vigilant and we need to provide education to help protect children from such people. The ThinkUKnow program builds a bridge between parents and teachers on one hand, and children on the other so that children feel confident that they can advise their parents and carers when they feel uncomfortable when online.
So this is about ensuring that we can be vigilant, and that we can have children confident they can discuss these matters with their parents, carers, or teachers.
Through this program, the AFP, Microsoft, NINEMSN and our volunteers, provide a very important contribution to protecting our kids.
QUESTION: This program’s been out for a few months nationally. How's it been received?
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: More and more schools are becoming engaged in this program - schools play a very important function in our society. Primarily of course an educative function. This is also an educative dimension to a very serious problem.
We do know there are some in our society who seek to harm children. We need to work out ways best to protect our children. And one of the best ways is to ensure that is to ensure that if they feel uncomfortable when they're online they know what to do.
QUESTION: How does it actually work?
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: We have a very user friendly website that provides information to parents and carers about building confidence and building a relationship with their children with respect to the virtual world.
Unfortunately, not all parents are savvy with such technology, and don't always feel comfortable about discussing these matters. Equally children don't always discuss these issues or what goes on in the virtual world with their parents.
So this is about providing information, alerting parents to potential dangers, emphasising the importance of discussing these issues with their children. We can't just put the computer into the living area of the house-- that's not enough. Rapidly changing wireless technology means we need to focus on education and building the confidence of children to talk their parents or teachers about potential concerns.
We also have volunteers who have been enlisted to go around from school to school and speak to parents and teachers and carers about that relationship, and also about the potential risks online.
The pilot programs showed very clearly that people who have gone through this program have found it useful. 90 per cent of participants agreed that they are more likely to be alert to potential risks, and for that reason we'd like to see this rolled out across the country. And we do appreciate this school, the Connolly Primary School taking a lead in Western Australia.
QUESTION: How many schools are involved across the country - and in WA?
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: We have 100 now enlisted already across the country; increasingly schools across Western Australia are expressing an interest in the program. But the great thing about these launches of course, it's not only emphasising the role of this school, but it's really calling out to the other schools and parents of those schools, and teachers, that we want them to be engaged in this program as well.
It's a voluntary program, but it's a very important one, and we know the schools will want to get involved. And that's why it's important to have these, have the public attention if you like drawn to this matter.
QUESTION: So are you saying Connolly's the only one in WA?
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: No, Connolly's the first, and in fact the seminars commencing next Thursday, as I understand it. And that's a very important thing. But schools are very busy. And they're stretched. They've got - their primary responsibility is to teach our kids a particular curricula.
And we would appreciate schools being involved - because they're perfectly placed - to work with parents and students. We know the internet is not a benign playground, and therefore we have to make sure that we do everything we can to avoid potential harm coming to our children.
QUESTION: How much has it cost?
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: Well it's not a very expensive program. I haven't got a particular price. It's not a high, it's not a large budget allocation. This is about the resources of volunteers and the good work of the Australian Federal Police and Microsoft who've been a partner all along in this. The fact that we can have volunteers, whether it's schools volunteering to be involved, volunteers to train people in the importance of such information - this has been a real community initiative, and we appreciate all those that are involved in what is of course a very important thing, protecting the most vulnerable people in our society - our children.
QUESTION: Can I ask you about something else?
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: I think you can.
QUESTION: The Western Australian Council of Teachers(*) is pushing to have laws in WA changed which will allow them to automatically strike off teachers from the register if they're convicted of possessing child pornography. At this stage, they can't do that. What's your view on that?
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: The Commonwealth takes these matters very seriously. It's for that reason we've enacted legislation. I've recently introduced into the Parliament, and have enacted laws that will protect children by making it tougher for people to be screened when they look to work with children, whether it's on a paid or voluntary basis.
What we do know is that those people who seek to cause children harm sometimes seek to work with them. There's nothing new in that. And, therefore, governments have a responsibility to make sure we do everything we can to rigorously screen people if they wish to work with children.
People have rights, of course. The last thing you want to be doing is accusing people of such offences if they're not true, because of the damage that may cause to people.
But primarily, in terms of weighing the issues up, my focus is on the protection of children, and we have to do everything we can. In relation to that matter, that's not something that I'm responsible for.
But when governments make decisions about protecting our kids, and we look at, of course, at the same time, entitlements of others, we will always have to fall down on the side of protecting our children. And I think the community would expect that. And I, as Minister for Home Affairs, certainly expect that.
QUESTION: Just on today's Newspoll, Minister, fairly concerning for the Government?
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: These polls, they go up and down and, indeed, there will be commentators making all sorts of judgements and conclusions from the poll. We're about producing real reform in this country. We've had just recently the Prime Minister and Treasurer respond to the Henry tax review, talking about reducing company tax for small businesses, increasing super contributions for workers in this country, which will build our national savings.
These are fundamental reforms, on top of the health reforms that have already been announced by the Prime Minister. This government is about building reforms, changing this economy for the better, strengthening our economy, and improving our health services.
Polls will be, I guess, the foodstuff of commentators. They're not things for, really, me to discuss.
QUESTION: So, do you think it's a result of recent back flips on policy?
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: I don't follow and analyse the polls like some pundits do. The fact is, they go up and down. We don't talk about them when they're up and we don't talk about them when they're down. We just get on with our business and allow people to decide what - how the Government's behaving and conducting itself. And when it really matters, is the election day.
QUESTION: Have you noticed a trend - in regards to asylum seeker arrivals, have you noticed a trend since the change in policy?
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: I think it's too early to conclude the effects of the decision to suspend the review of asylum seeker claims for three months and six months for Sri Lanka and Afghanistan asylum seekers respectively.
We'll continue to monitor, of course, those arrivals and see whether there's been an impact as a result of that decision. But, can I just say, we made that decision on the advice that there were changes occurring in those two countries, which would mean there'd be - it may well be the case that there would be fewer genuine asylum seekers. That's something we will assess after the review period, but it's too early to conclude whether there's been a quantifiable change in the arrivals of those that seek asylum at this point.
QUESTION: Can you give us an update on the search for Dragan Vasiljkovic(*)?
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: The AFP are working hard in ensuring that this person is detained. Clearly, the court has made a decision. The court determined that he is eligible for extradition and, therefore, you know, he is now wanted by the Australian Federal Police. And I'm informed by the commissioner that they're doing everything they can to find him and, of course, detain him.
At this point, as I understand it, he's not been found, but, of course, we'll continue to do our best there.
QUESTION: Are you confident that he's still in the country?
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: The advice I received is he may well be and, certainly, we're acting on that basis. But we will do everything we can to bring him to justice and, indeed, ensure that we fulfil our obligations as signatories to the extradition treaty.
QUESTION: Is it concerning that the AFP's managed to lose him?
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: I don't think that's a fair accusation. The fact is that he was entitled to be out of jail at the time of the determination of courts. And law enforcement officers have certain obligations, and there are certain rights of individuals. And the fact is that he's absconded before a determination was made, and the AFP were not in a position to do anything other than how they acted. And I do not, for one minute, blame the AFP for this situation.
QUESTION: What's been the response from the Croatian Government?
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: Well, they, of course, as the country seeking extradition, would like to see him extradited, and that's why we're doing everything we can to detain him.
QUESTION: So just to clarify, there's no sort of - no review of our policies or are you happy with the way the AFP handles this.
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: No, as I say, there was - there's been nothing - this is not a person who has escaped custody. This is a person who was free to walk the streets, given the situation he was in. That was a determination of the court.
The court made a further determination and - before which, he, as I understand it, fled. The AFP is now seeking to respond to that situation. They're doing everything they can to detain him.
