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Preliminary pages

Foreword

Cyber technology has developed dramatically in the last 20 years and the internet and other new communications technologies have infiltrated our lives in ways most of us would not have imagined only a few years ago. Australians are now communicating with government, business, family and friends, as well as shopping and banking, online. While many senior Australians may have been reluctant to venture into the cyber world initially, seniors are now the fastest growing online user group in the country.

Anyone who uses the internet is vulnerable to cyber security threats but the Committee found that seniors are particularly vulnerable for several reasons. In the words of Dr Helen Kimberley from the Brotherhood of St Laurence, senior Australians are ‘digital immigrants’ not ‘digital natives’ as young people are. Seniors have not grown up using the technology and, in the case of the older senior cohort, they did not even have the advantage of using computers in their work before retirement. Many seniors therefore have a lot of catching up to do when it comes to being ‘cyber savvy’.

Additionally, seniors are attractive targets for criminals because many seniors own substantial assets and have access to life savings and their superannuation. In many cases, seniors are looking for opportunities to invest their money, so they might be receptive to scams and fraudulent investment opportunities.

The Committee spoke to seniors who have enthusiastically embraced the internet and other communications technology, and who act safely online. However, the Committee also received a lot of evidence showing that there are many senior Australians who either are not using the internet at all, or are using it with caution, because they are afraid of becoming involved in cyber security issues. Additionally, many are now too embarrassed to admit to family and others that they have no knowledge of the internet and no idea how they would go about ‘getting online’. For these seniors, education and training will be their key to becoming cyber savvy and cyber safe.

Paradoxically, it is often the seniors who could most benefit from being online in their own home—that is, the geographically isolated or those who are housebound through disability or for other reasons—who have been left behind and are not yet online. Many of these seniors are hesitant to venture into the cyber world, if indeed they even knew how to do so.

The Committee found that there is a lot of help available for seniors who want to go online, particularly in the more populated parts of the country. Many seniors’ groups, public libraries and government departments around the nation are helping seniors start the journey towards being cyber savvy. Some seniors’ clubs are teaching computing with a cybersafety component and some also teach dedicated cybersafety courses. The Universities of the Third Age are experiencing very high demand for their computer courses. Public libraries around the nation are doing an impressive job of helping seniors to safely use email, smartphones, social networking and to access government sites and services. Over 2 000 Broadband for Seniors kiosks are located around the nation offering free internet access and training for seniors.

At the back of this report we have included a list of on-line resources which offer cybersafety advice and guidance. As a starting point I would advise seniors with cybersafety concerns to look at the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy’s Stay Smart Online webpage or the FaHCSIA Staying-Safe-Online website. The FaHCSIA website also has information about the Broadband for Seniors kiosks.

In conclusion, I would like to express my appreciation to the Committee’s Deputy Chair and my colleagues on the Committee. On behalf of the Committee, I would also like to thank the Secretariat for the enthusiasm and dedication they have shown to this inquiry. My thanks also go to everyone who sent in a submission, or appeared as a witness, either at a public hearing or at the round table in Hobart. Thanks also to each of the 536 seniors who took the time to complete the Committee’s online cybersafety for seniors’ survey. All of the information provided to the Committee was invaluable in the writing of this report.

The Committee has made 13 recommendations in this unanimous report, all of which we believe will improve cybersafety for senior Australians. As the report title suggests, the journey to help all seniors enjoy the benefits of being online while staying cyber-safe is a worthwhile one.

Senator Catryna Bilyk
Chair

Membership of the Committee

Committee Secretariat

Terms of reference

The Joint Select Committee on Cyber-Safety shall inquire and report on the cybersafety of senior Australians, and make recommendations aimed at ensuring Australian law, policy and programs represent best practice measures for the cybersafety of senior Australians. Cybersafety for senior Australians includes issues of consumer protection, such as financial security and protecting personal information, and issues involving using social networking sites safely. In particular, the Committee shall inquire into:

1. the nature, prevalence and level of cybersafety risks and threats experienced by senior Australians;
   
   
2. the impact and implications of those risks and threats on access and use of information and communication technologies by senior Australians;
   
3. the adequacy and effectiveness of current government and industry initiatives to respond to those threats, including education initiatives aimed at senior Australians; and
   
4. best practice safeguards, and any possible changes to Australian law, policy or practice that will strengthen the cybersafety of senior Australians.
   
   

List of abbreviations

List of recommendations

2 How seniors use information and communication technologies

Recommendation 1

That the Australian Government investigates innovative ways of providing low cost internet connection to financially disadvantaged housebound and geographically isolated seniors who request it.

Recommendation 2

That an advertising campaign targeting seniors be devised to alert seniors  around the nation to the existence and location of the Broadband for Seniors kiosks.

Recommendation 3

That the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy prioritise including some cybersafety information on their website in languages other than English.

3 Cybersafety risks and threats for seniors

Recommendation 4

That the Australian Government develops, as a supplement to its  Web Guide, a web style guide prescribing the key elements of web design to ensure simplicity of language, visual clarity in design and logical navigation tools. This could be supported by graphical  step-by-step tutorials for use where applicable.

Recommendation 5

In support of the previous recommendation, the Committee also recommends that, in addition to conducting compliance audits based on the web style guide requirements, the Australian Government Information Management Office should offer an Annual Award for user friendly web design, in part based on public input on the utility of government websites.

Recommendation 6

That the Australian Government develops a centralised user friendly reporting and cybersafety awareness portal for all types of cybercrime with links to relevant regulators.

The site should feature a dedicated reporting tab, a seniors tab and be backed up by a telephone service which links individuals to appropriate victim support, training and other advice.

Recommendation 7

In support of the above, the Australian Government should investigate options for the contracting of appropriate non-government organisations or private organisations to provide support and advice to victims of online and technology related crime.

4 Cybersafety education and training for seniors

Recommendation 8

That the Australian Government advertise the Broadband for Seniors initiative widely, including:

• launching a campaign publicising the internet kiosks using seniors clubs, magazines, newspapers, radio and television; and
  

• widely advertising the new cybersafety telephone helpline, including on all government websites which host cybersafety information.