New Child Protection Measures Introduced
International Justice Mission (IJM) has welcomed the Australian Government’s response to the independent review of the Online Safety Act 2021, which aims to strengthen online child protection measures. This response was announced on 17th April 2026, following recommendations from Delia Rickard PSM.
The government plans to legislate a Digital Duty of Care for the online industry, focusing on due diligence, safety by design, and robust enforcement. This initiative aims to protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse in digital environments.
John Tanagho, Executive Director of IJM’s Centre to End Online Sexual Exploitation of Children, stated, “IJM welcomes the Australian Government‘s intent for the Digital Duty of Care to cover ‘all digital service providers,’ including device manufacturers and operating system services.”
Stronger Enforcement and Penalties
According to the review, online service providers should prioritise children’s best interests by mitigating risks related to their services. The government supports increasing penalties for companies failing to remove child sexual abuse content, with fines up to 5% of global revenue or $50 million.
David Braga, CEO of IJM Australia, highlighted the importance of the eSafety Commissioner having necessary enforcement tools to ensure compliance with the Online Safety Act and related standards.
IJM calls for continued investigation into AI-driven safety tech solutions that detect and block child sexual abuse content. Recent discussions between IJM and Australian Government representatives emphasised the potential of these technologies.
Survivor leader Barbie from the Philippine Survivor Network shared, “From my own perspective as a survivor leader here in the Philippine Survivor Network, prevention is everything, because once the harm happens it doesn’t just disappear, it stays with the child.”
The Philippine Survivor Network, a survivor-led advocacy group in the Philippines, comprises individuals with lived experiences of sexual abuse and exploitation, focusing on children’s protection.
IJM further commends the Government for supporting a stronger enforcement regime for the online safety regulator. This includes increasing the maximum civil penalty that a court can impose to 5% of a company’s global revenue or $50 million, whichever is greater.
Civil penalties for companies failing to remove child sexual abuse images and videos are set to increase to a maximum of $10 million.
The IJM is prepared to assist the Australian Government in implementing these online safety reforms to protect children from exploitation.
Last updated: 29 June 2026, 12:25 pm
