Govt to ban 'deepfake' porn, trial digital age assurance to counter violence

Addressing the media in Sydney after his national cabinet meeting with his state and territory counterparts to discuss the national crisis of violence against women, Mr Albanese said the leaders had agreed on "some actions we can take immediately" to address the crisis.

Leaders agreed to bring forward the reporting date of a review of the Online Safety Act by a year, "to ensure we're keeping up with emerging online threats and harms", the Prime Minister said.

The federal government will bring forward its plans to introduce legislation which will "outlaw the release of private information online with an intent to cause harm" to early August. The legislation will target the so-called practice of doxxing.

Mr Albanese also announced the government would invest $925 million over five years to make permanent the Leaving Violence Program, which enables victim survivors to access up to $5000 worth of financial support to escape from violent intimate partners.

Along with cash payments of up to $1500 and contributions to expenses, eligible victim survivors will be supported with "referral services, risk assessments and safety planning," Mr Albanese said.

Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner Micaela Cronin urged leaders not to "set and forget" plans to address gender-based violence, and to maintain their focus on ending domestic and family violence.

"We have a national plan which is a very good national plan, but no plan in such a complex area can be a set and forget plan, we need to be constantly looking at what is emerging and changing," she said.

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said next month's federal budget would include $6.5 million for a pilot of age-assurance technologies for children online.

The funding will go towards identifying available age verification technologies and assessing their efficacy. The eSafety Commission has previously identified that this technology could be used to prevent and mitigate harms to children from online pornography.

Earlier, Mr Albanese told premiers and chief ministers at the meeting: "Too many women in Australia live in fear, and too many are dying from violence.

"The statistic of a woman dying every four days is completely unacceptable, not just to the leaders of states and territories in the nation, but unacceptable for all Australians," he said.

"For some of us, this is deeply personal, and for all of us, this is incredibly important."

Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said the government had evaluated and redesigned the $5000 Escaping Violence Payment pilot program introduced by the Coalition in 2021. The revamped version of the scheme will launch in mid-2025.

"This program not only assists with financial support, but also helps women that may have otherwise fallen through the cracks - to connect with other supports," she said.

"Violence against women and children has been a national crisis for some time and is a national shame. Every time a woman loses her life at the hands of a man, it is one death too many. But the rates of this in this country are unacceptable."

Ms Rishworth said financial insecurity "can be a barrier to women leaving a violent relationship and knowing they have the support, the financial support, that they need is critically important."

The next phase of the Commonwealth-funded Stop it At the Start public awareness campaign exposing the harms of "violent and misogynistic content" online will begin in mid-June.

Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley told ABC Radio National on Wednesday morning she was "sick of all men who don't understand this problem".

"I would like to see a co-ordinated plan across all levels of government to tackle this national cancer," Ms Ley said, indicating the Coalition would support increased funding of frontline services.

"I don't want to hear any more platitudes, I don't want to hear any more soothing words.

"We need governments to deliver on their promises. Two years ago, Anthony Albanese promised 500 frontline community safety workers over the next couple of years. There should be these workers on the ground helping women now.

"We all know that we need more funding and we need more frontline services to deliver that funding. There are many other things we need, too, and I'm particularly interested in the research that is done on violent pornography and its effect on young men."

Treasurer Jim Chalmers told ABC Radio National on Wednesday that the federal government was willing to consider "ways that we can invest more or invest differently" to stop the violence.

"Women are not safe in our community, and we are very cognisant of that and very focussed on that," Mr Chalmers said.

"If there are ways that we can provide more investment or invest differently in these really important services to keep women safe, then obviously that's something that we're prepared to consider.

"I understand we need to do more, and we need to do better and there are billions of dollars that we've invested over two budgets in trying to keep women safe, but women still aren't safe in our community."

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton told FIVEaa radio in Adelaide on Wednesday morning: "We'll support the Government in any sensible move they've got."