Cybersafety for Seniors in Melbourne

Senior Australians are a very diverse group, especially when it comes to attitudes to computers and the internet.

Cyber-Safety Committee Chair, Senator Catryna Bilyk, believes that formulating a balanced message about cybersafety for those aged 55 and above is therefore very important.

“Older people who have never worked with computers or who have been retired for a long time can be very intimidated by the internet, or not see its utility,” says Senator Bilyk.”Others enthusiastically go online for entertainment, information and services but may not be aware of the nature or extent of cyber threats”.

The Committee’s next public hearing for its inquiry into cybersafety for seniors will be held in Melbourne this Friday. “The objective is to find the best ways to get reluctant seniors online safely and to upskill competent users without over emphasising the risks”, the Senator said.

Opening the hearing is YOURLifeChoices, an Australian online news and magazine for people aged 50–75, with over 61 500 subscribers. The publisher wants government and industry to set up a ‘one‐stop shop’, for both reporting scams and advising seniors about cybersafety.

The Alannah and Madeline Foundation, well known for work on child safety, will conclude proceedings. It asks for a government led National Cyber Strategy and Plan to co-ordinate initiatives across the cyber agenda at all levels of the community.

The Committee will hear also from the Brotherhood of St Laurence, which operates
‘mens sheds’ for computer literacy, the Life Activities Clubs Victoria, the Australian Taxation Office and the Consumers e-Health Alliance.

The Chair welcomes members of the public to the hearing and also encourages seniors to complete the Committee’s cybersafety survey, either online or in hardcopy. The survey can be accessed at: https://www.surveymk.com/s/cybersafety-seniors or call the Inquiry Secretary on the number below.

The Committee’s public hearing on Friday 18 May 2012 will commence at 10.00am in the Parliament of Victoria Committee Room G6, 55 St Andrews Place, Melbourne.

Audio of proceedings in Committee Room 1R5 will be webcast on http://www.aph.gov.au/News_and_Events/Watch_Parliament

Further information on the inquiry is available from the Committee’s web site http://www.aph.gov.au/jscc
Senator Catryna Bilyk Labor Senator for Tasmania Chair of the Joint Select Committee on Cyber-Safety