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Yet another study on Cyber safety is about to be undertaken
A new research project will explore cyber-safety and cyber-security issues facing Australian children.
Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy said the research project would be undertaken by Illawarra Regional Information Service (IRIS) Research (a research arm of Wollongong University) and the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER).
It builds on Edith Cowan University’s Review of Existing Australian and International Cyber-safety Research, commissioned by the Rudd Government, which found significant gaps in many areas of cyber-safety research.
The project will develop a reliable and nationally representative data collection methodology and involve two surveys of young internet users, one for parents and guardians and one for teachers, in the first half of 2010.
This new research will be in conjunction with the important work of the Consultative Working Group and Youth Advisory Group on Cyber-Safety, and will assist the cyber-safety initiatives of the Australian Communications and Media Authority and the Australian Federal Police.
The Rudd Government’s $125.8 million cyber-safety plan includes a comprehensive range of measures such as:
- $49 million for an additional 91 AFP online child protection officers
- $11.3 million for the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions
- education and information
- resources such as help-lines and the CyberSmart website (www.cybersmart.gov.au)
ISP filtering
- consultative arrangements with industry, children and child protection bodies, and
research to identify possible areas for further action.
