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Lawyer and former Miss Hibiscus, Miss Pacific, and FijiFirst candidate named as Commissioner by Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum
The commissioner for the newly-established online safety commission was announced yesterday.
She is Anne Christine Dunn, a lawyer by profession and graduate of the University of the South
Pacific’s School of Law.
While making the announcement, the Attorney-General and Minister for Economy, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, said the Act would come into effect from January 1, 2019.
He added that this year the Government brought about the Bill and was very concerned about some of the online messaging, the visuals that were online, the exploitation of children and the exploitation of women in particular.
The Act was passed in Parliament early this year.
A sum of $300,000 was allocated in the 2018/2019 National Budget allocation for the commission to take care all its functions. Mr Sayed-Khaiyum added that the money would facilitate the salary of the commissioner and any other expenses such as advertisement campaigns and awareness drives.
He said the main objectives of the Act were to: Promote responsible online behaviour and online safety; Promote a safe online culture and environment that addresses cyber bullying and cyber stalking, internet trolling and exposure to offensive and harmful content particularly in respect to children; Deter harm caused to individuals by electronic communications; and Provide an efficient means of redress for such individuals.
The commission office will be on Level Nine of the Suvavou House. Mr Sayed-Khaiyum added that how the commission would function and what it intended to do would be released in the new year.
Some of the key objectives of the commission are:
Promote online safety, organise awareness and education programmes;
Receive complains in relation to electronic communication that intends to cause harm;
Assess and provide advice in relation to any query or complaint submitted to the commission;
Investigate complaints and seek to resolve such complaints as appropriate; Consultant work with relevant agencies, organisation or the Government with the purpose of the Act;
Work with relevant agencies, organisation or government with the purpose of the Act; and
Advise the minister on any matter pertaining to online safety and fulfill the functions within the act itself.
“We look forward to members of the public to come forward, in particular the youths,” Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said.
He added that they are looking at helping the commissioner to develop relationships with other commissions in other countries like Australia and New Zealand. Online Safety Commissioner Ms Dunn said that within the first few weeks they would raise awareness in secondary schools and universities and be giving out contact details of the commission.
“The commission is here to help, promote, advocate and raise awareness for online safety and being able to have a platform to raise your concerns,” she said.
Ms Dunn is also a former Miss Hibiscus and Miss South Pacific.