Australia's Opposition Leader Wants Mandatory Age Verification

CANBERRA—Peter Dutton, leader of the opposition in the Australian Parliament, recently announced his support for mandatory age verification laws in order to access online adult websites.  Dutton, who currently leads the center-right Liberal Party, is currently criticizing the Labor-controlled government of the sitting prime minister, Anthony Albanese, who directed his communications cabinet to decline legislating porn age gates.  AVN reported at the end of August the federal government of Australia chose not to require mandatory age verification for adult websites, citing safety and privacy concerns. Minister for communications Michelle Rowland indicated at the time that her department "does not recomment the Government to legislate to mandate age assurance technology for access to online pornography and notes that technological developments in this space are still new and evolving."  “I have not seen something as negligent as this in a long time,” said Dutton during a Liberal Party state convention for New South Wales, in Sydney, according to the Australian Associated Press via The Guardian and other local reports.  Dutton said that Prime Minister Albanese and his government chose the pornography industry over Australian parents and families.  He explained that if his party wins back control of the government, the eSafety Commissioner’s office, which is responsible for implementing age verification regulations, would be appropriated $6.7 million to conduct a trial run over a span of two fiscal years.  Under the current administration, eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant is tasked with enforcing the Online Safety Act of 2021—the focal point of a "roadmap for age verification" adopted by the Aussie government—through “reasonable steps” that won't comprise users' privacy and information security, and with input from industry stakeholders on a basic code for online safety expectations. “If an industry drafted code doesn’t meet the statutory requirements, the eSafety Commissioner can develop a mandatory industry standard for that section of the online industry," eSafety stated at the time of the announcement that the government would be forgoing age verification legislation. "This work will commence in earnest after the first phase of codes and standards is complete."  The preceding government, controlled by the Liberal Party, recommended that mandatory age verification be in place for online porn and gambling throughout the country.