Primary schools in Tasmania encouraged to advise on cybersafety

Senator the Hon Stephen Conroy
Minister for Broadband, Communications
and the Digital Economy

Senator Catryna Bilyk
Senator For Tasmania
Chair of the Joint Select Committee on Cyber-Safety

JOINT MEDIA RELEASE

Primary schools in Tasmania encouraged to advise the Government on cybersafety

Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, and Chair of the Joint Select Committee on Cyber-Safety, Senator Catryna Bilyk, today encouraged local primary schools to nominate themselves to brief the Government on cybersafety issues and become part of this year’s Youth Advisory Group on Cybersafety (YAG).

“Keeping Australians, particularly young people, safe online is a major priority for the Government. I urge primary schools and students aged 8 to 12 to get involved so they can advise us about what more we should be doing to tackle this important issue,” Senator Conroy said.

“Input from this group in previous years has been extremely important in helping formulate Government policies. For example, it contributed greatly to the development of cybersafety resources like the Cybersafety Help Button and the Easy Guide to Socialising Online.

“This is a milestone year for the YAG, as it’s the first time in our four year history that every Australian primary school can nominate to take part,” Senator Conroy said.

Senator Bilyk said that younger Australians are growing up in an online world and it is vital that they have a voice in ensuring Government policies are practical and relevant to them.

“I really encourage local schools in Tasmania to sign up, get involved, and take this opportunity for their students to tell the Government their ideas for making the online world safer for young people,” Senator Bilyk said.

“Primary school students in Tasmania will be participating in a secure online consultation from 6 to 17 August.”

Senator Conroy said these students follow their older peers who participated in the secondary school YAG, which was held in the first half of 2012.

“Parents, guardians and teachers can also sign up for the Teachers and Parents Advisory Group (TAP), which advises the government on what has worked for them, as well as help shape the development of cybersafety resources and policies,” Senator Conroy said.

Nominations for primary schools to join YAG can be made up to a week before consultations begin. If a school misses the nomination window, they are encouraged to contact the Department of Broadband, Communication, and the Digital Economy to see if other arrangements can be made.

Information packs and more detail about the YAG are available online at: https://yag.gov.au.

For more information on the government’s cybersafety plan visit: www.dbcde.gov.au/cybersafetyplan.
Stephen Conroy, Catryna Bilyk