Laws focus on ‘revenge porn’ posts
EX-LOVERS who publish “revenge porn” will face up to seven years behind bars under a Turnbull government crackdown.
The new laws will for the first time specifically tackle people vindictively circulating intimate images, as authorities now believe one in five Australians have fallen victim to the phenomenon.
New legislation would introduce two aggravated criminal offences that would stand alongside fines up to $105,000 for perpetrators and $525,000 for websites, Communications Minister Mitch Fifield said yesterday.
“This Bill sends a clear message to all Australians that the non-consensual sharing of intimate images is unacceptable in our society,” he said.
“Whatever the reasons for sharing intimate images with- out consent, the Turnbull government is cracking down on online creeps who want to cause harm, distress, humiliate or embarrass their victims.
“Where intimate material is criminally distributed online, this legislation will act to protect victims.”
Under existing federal laws, revenge porn is only punishable by up to three years in jail for using a carriage service, such as mobile phone or the internet, to “menace, harass, or cause offence”.
The new laws, to be introduced in Parliament today, would create two offences for sharing of “private sexual material”, carrying a maximum penalty of five years’ jail. The maximum would be up to seven years for a repeat offender.
Latest figures from the Office of the eSafety Commissioner show that as of June it had received 241 reports of nearly 385 online locations where revenge porn was posted.
To date 79 per cent of reports have concerned female victims and 37 per cent were about victims who were under 18 at the time.
The eSafety Commissioner has the power to issue perpetrators and platforms formal warnings, infringement notices, seek a court-ordered civil penalty and injunctions to take down images.
Laws creating penalties of up to $525,000 for corporations and $105,000 for individuals found to share personal images passed the Senate this year but stalled in the Lower House over a push to create criminal offences.
At the time Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said there was “intense” concern in the community over the issue and agreed to discuss it with Mr Fifield and Attorney-General Christian Porter. material