ALIA submission to Joint Select Committee on Cyber-Safety
June 2010
Introduction
For ALIA and Australia's library and information services, together with the support for freedom of information and unhindered access to electronic information resources, comes the need to exercise due care in the provision of information.
The role of Australia's libraries, in particular school and public libraries, should be recognised as important stakeholders in the promotion of a safer experience online for all Australians.
Libraries and information services proactively promote and facilitate responsible access to quality networked information for all their users, including children and young people.
ALIA endorses and supports effective, practical and appropriate measures that assist Australians to manage their use of the internet. We believe that cybersafety education is one of the most effective strategies to manage content issues. Adequate funding of cybersafety education for children and parents should be a major component of the Government's policy on online safety.
A national coordinated approach that includes research, cybersafety education, effective policing of illegal content, and appropriate technology solutions is required to meet the challenges of online safety and security.
Supporting organisations
The following organisations supported the ALIA submission:
- National and State Libraries Australasia (NSLA)
- Australian School Library Association (ASLA)
- Australian Law Librarians' Association (ALLA)
- Australian Government Libraries Information Network (AGLIN)
- ACT Library and Information Service (ACTLIS)
- Public Libraries Australia (PLA)
- Public Libraries NSW Country (PLC)
- Public Libraries NSW Metropolitan Association (PLM)
- Public Libraries of South Australia (PLSA)
- Public Libraries Victoria Network (PLVN)
- Public Libraries Western Australia (PLWA)
- Queensland Public Library Association (QPLA)
- Friends of Libraries Australia (FOLA)
Recommendations
- Recognition of the role of libraries
- Recognising the role of public libraries in providing vital infrastructure for Australia's digital future and using the Australia?wide network as the mechanism for promoting cybersafety messages to the general community
- Recognising the role of teacher librarians and school libraries in promoting cybersafety messages and teaching digital information literacy skills
- National comprehensive education program
Properly funding an effective national comprehensive cybersafety education program for children, parents and the community with public libraries and school libraries as the mechanism for reaching these communities
- Targeted research of internet risks and opportunities for young people
Funding a coordinated research program to look into the world's best practice safeguards, user behaviour, new technologies and how technology can be part of the solution, and evidence based practices
- Promotion and support of broader participation in ongoing solutions
Facilitating collaboration among bodies working in cybersafety solutions and research to ensure a coordinated and inclusive approach
- More funding to increase effective policing of illegal material on the internet
Significantly increasing and funding the level of oversight by the police focused on the locations, such peer?to?peer, where child sexual abuse materials are disseminated
- Appropriate technology solutions which give people choice
Computer and internet users today have a wide variety of effective tools available to them to shape their online experience. These tools provide for a much greater level of control and crucially put the user (or parent) in control.
Click here to view the ALIA submission [ pdf 589KB ]
Joint Select Committee on Cyber-Safety
Terms of Reference, submissions, public hearings and final report
Sue Hutley, ALIA Executive Director, participated at the Roundtable on 8 July 2010 representing the Safer Internet Group. Transcript
Related links
ALIA online content and regulation http://www.alia.org.au/advocacy/internet.access/
ALIA internet filtering http://www.alia.org.au/internetfiltering/
Safer Internet Group http://www.saferinternetgroup.org/
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