2025 Federal election asks: We want to know where each candidate stands on these key issues

Age Verification

Collective Shout lobbied for years for proof-of-age protections as one barrier in the way of children accessing rape, torture, sadism and incest porn at the click of a button. We spearheaded an open letter signed by Australia’s leading child protection and women’s safety experts, calling on the Federal Government to reverse an earlier decision against an age verification trial. This effort was successful, with the Government adding the trial to a suite of measures following an emergency cabinet meeting to address an epidemic of violence against women. The trial is currently underway.

However the powerful global porn industry which has always put profit before community wellbeing, is opposed to any regulation – even to protect vulnerable children. For example, in the 17 US states which have passed AV laws, Pornhub prefers to shut up shop than comply. We can’t allow this predatory industry which fuels violence, aggression, sexual harassment of women and girls and harmful sexual behaviours to undermine this hard fought for trial or to run interference on any other related child protection measures.

Further reading:

Big Tech/Social Media

Social media companies have operated like rogue states, causing untold harm. Big Tech platforms have facilitated predators, groomers, sextortion, porn and severe mental health decline in adolescents. For years we have reported the activities of predators and groomers especially on Instagram (which we’ve labelled a predator’s playground), exposed Child Sexual Exploitation Material [CSEM] on all platforms and called for stronger regulation and penalties for the Big Tech bros who have operated as a law unto themselves. These mega corporations have facilitated and enabled predatory and grooming behaviours, sexualisation, and sexual harassment directed at minors. Platforms most popular with young people have served as gateways to pornography. Right now little girls are being sold openly on TikTok for online sexual abuse. These platforms are commercially mediating the abuse of children and have failed to be accountable or transparent. Their own terms and conditions are meaningless when not enforced. Governments need to demand better from rich powerful companies that act to harm children - and profit from it.

Further reading:

AI Enabled Deepfakes/Nudifying Apps

Easily available AI tools are facilitating the creation and distribution of Image Based Sexual Abuse /Deepfake Sexual Abuse images. We call for uniform laws which criminalise creation and distribution - including creation as a stand-alone offence (whether distributed or not). We also call for a global ban on the 127 nudifying and undressing apps which enable an image of any woman or girl to be turned into a nude/porn image within seconds. This is happening right now to Australian schoolgirls and female teachers. We need our political leaders to back a global ban on AI tools which are terrorising women and girls everywhere.

Further reading:

Classification Laws

For too long our classification laws have been too weak to rein in publishers of pornographic violence. We have documented how manga/hentai themed graphic novels and cartoons are not given strong enough ratings which means they end up accessible to young people. Recently we criticised the Classification Review Board for allowing publications depicting pornographic torture of women and girls in easy access of young people in public libraries. We need a strengthening of the system to stop this.

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Advertising Standards

Advertising industry self-regulation is a dismal failure. There is no better example of this than the regular flouting of the advertising code of ethics by Playboy owned sex store Honey Birdette which has been found in breach of the code almost 90 times for its porn-themed advertising. From pornifying breast cancer for profit, eroticising violence against women (including choking/strangulation), fetishising female athletes, flight attendants and lesbians as objects of male fantasy and allowing a toxic culture of sexual harassment and bullying of young female staff, Honey Birdette continues to disempower women.

We’ve been protesting Honey Birdette’s eroticisation of almost naked women since the early days and nothing has changed because there are no power of enforcement of rulings against the company and no fines or penalties for non-compliance. Despite a number of state and federal inquiries demonstrating the need for systemic reform, things are worse than ever. Following the 2011 inquiry into the regulation of billboards and outdoor advertising, the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs placed the advertising industry on notice, stating: “If the industry does not demonstrate over the next few years that self-regulation can appropriately operate within the bounds of community expectations for appropriate outdoor advertising, then the Committee strongly recommends that the Australian Government institute regulatory measures”. That was 14 years ago. It’s time for a system with real teeth.

Further reading:

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Collective Shout published this page in News 2025-04-05 17:46:50 +1100