The Australian Federal Police Association (AFPA) supports the Criminal Code Amendment (Deepfake Sexual Material) Bill 2024, announced by Federal Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus KC.
AFPA President Alex Caruana said the new laws would focus on digitally created and altered explicit material shared via a carriage service without consent.
“With the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence and technology in general, legislation and laws often struggle to keep pace with the novel crime(s) that appear as a result.
“The Attorney-General is 100 per cent correct when he characterises the creation of this kind of material as ‘insidious and degrading’, with victims left feeling ‘humiliated and dehumanised’.
“The AFPA welcomes and supports the definition of a new offence where a carriage service is used to transmit adult ‘deepfake’ sexual material without consent, or reckless to consent,” Mr Caruana said.
The AFPA also acknowledges and welcomes the maximum sentencing provisions for the offence – up to six years imprisonment – and believes that they will assist in acting as a deterrent.
In 2021, there were reported to be around 14,600 deepfake videos online. By 2023, this number had increased by 552 per cent to 95,820 online deepfake videos, with 96 per cent being considered sexually explicit material.
AFPA President Alex Caruana said the legislation was sorely needed and that the AFP should be the agency primarily involved in its enforcement.
“The AFP is the top body for the enforcement of cyber law. I expect the Government to ask its federal law
enforcement agency to take the lead in implementing and driving this new legislation across Australia.
“For this to occur, the Government must invest in the AFP and its technological capabilities. Technology develops at a frantic pace, and the AFP must keep up in order to disrupt and dismantle crime.
“Investment into training and supporting the AFP appointees undertaking this important work is critical. This includes paying them a fair and competitive wage.
“We know that the private sector targets AFP appointees when recruiting, and currently, AFP wages are not competitive when it comes to retaining these highly skilled and trained appointees.
“If the Government is serious about national security, they would support, fund, and grow the AFP and its workforce. Instead, they stymy it with non-competitive wages, limited funding, and efficiency dividends — treating it like a traditional public service department.” Mr Caruana said.
For comments: AFPA Media and Government Relations Manager – Mr Troy Roberts – 02 62651788 – media@afpa.org.au
The Australian Federal Police Association (AFPA) supports the Criminal Code Amendment (Deepfake Sexual Material) Bill 2024, announced by Federal Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus KC.
AFPA President Alex Caruana said the new laws would focus on digitally created and altered explicit material shared via a carriage service without consent.
“With the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence and technology in general, legislation and laws often struggle to keep pace with the novel crime(s) that appear as a result.
“The Attorney-General is 100 per cent correct when he characterises the creation of this kind of material as ‘insidious and degrading’, with victims left feeling ‘humiliated and dehumanised’.
“The AFPA welcomes and supports the definition of a new offence where a carriage service is used to transmit adult ‘deepfake’ sexual material without consent, or reckless to consent,” Mr Caruana said.
The AFPA also acknowledges and welcomes the maximum sentencing provisions for the offence – up to six years imprisonment – and believes that they will assist in acting as a deterrent.
In 2021, there were reported to be around 14,600 deepfake videos online. By 2023, this number had increased by 552 per cent to 95,820 online deepfake videos, with 96 per cent being considered sexually explicit material.
AFPA President Alex Caruana said the legislation was sorely needed and that the AFP should be the agency primarily involved in its enforcement.
“The AFP is the top body for the enforcement of cyber law. I expect the Government to ask its federal law
enforcement agency to take the lead in implementing and driving this new legislation across Australia.
“For this to occur, the Government must invest in the AFP and its technological capabilities. Technology develops at a frantic pace, and the AFP must keep up in order to disrupt and dismantle crime.
“Investment into training and supporting the AFP appointees undertaking this important work is critical. This includes paying them a fair and competitive wage.
“We know that the private sector targets AFP appointees when recruiting, and currently, AFP wages are not competitive when it comes to retaining these highly skilled and trained appointees.
“If the Government is serious about national security, they would support, fund, and grow the AFP and its workforce. Instead, they stymy it with non-competitive wages, limited funding, and efficiency dividends — treating it like a traditional public service department.” Mr Caruana said.
For comments: AFPA Media and Government Relations Manager – Mr Troy Roberts – 02 62651788 – media@afpa.org.au
