Anthony Albanese will ban ‘deepfake’ and artificial intelligence pornography as part of a $925 million bid to tackle the shocking rise in violence against women.
The Prime Minister convened a National Cabinet meeting on Wednesday following a wave of women allegedly murdered by men they knew since early 2024.
Immediately after the meeting with the country’s state and territory leaders, Albanese announced a series of new measures to reduce violence, which he described as a “scourge” on society.
Mr Albanese highlighted community concerns about “toxic male attitudes online” and “the exposure of young men to violent images” on the internet.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese convened a National Cabinet meeting on Wednesday after a wave of women were allegedly murdered by men they knew since the start of the year.
To combat this problem, Mr Albanese will ‘introduce legislation to ban the creation and distribution of deepfake pornography’.
“Sharing sexually explicit material using artificial intelligence will also be subject to serious criminal penalties,” he added.
Twenty-seven women have been murdered across Australia this year, while men they know have been charged or arrested in connection with their deaths.
The alarming spike in deaths from alleged domestic violence in 2024 has sparked national protests and protests.
‘One woman every four days. This is indeed a national crisis,” Albanese said.
‘Violence against women is not a women’s problem that needs to be solved. It is a social problem that needs to be solved. Men in particular must take their responsibility.’
The Labor government has faced intense criticism over the past month after a war of words with billionaire X owner Elon Musk as it tries to crack down on online content.
Mr Albanese, Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth and Communications Minister Michelle Rowland tried to justify the newly announced legislation on deep fakes and AI on Wednesday.
“The content that digital platforms serve through algorithms and systems, especially to young Australians, has an impact in reinforcing harmful and outdated gender norms,” Ms Rowland said.
She said violent pornography contributes to “normalizing gender-based violence” and that digital platforms must “ensure community norms are respected both online and offline.”
Ms Rishworth added that violence against women will only end when there is a generational change, and that young boys need “positive role models” to “counter negative stereotypes”.
Mr Albanese, together with Ms Rishworth, announced a Violence Abandonment Programme, which will receive $925 million in funding in the May Budget.
Eligible women will have access to up to $5,000 in financial assistance to end an abusive relationship.
The Prime Minister acknowledged that all levels of government must tackle domestic violence differently
Molly Ticehurst (pictured) was allegedly murdered by her ex-boyfriend Daniel Billings in the central western NSW town of Forbes
Mr Albanese also addressed the controversy surrounding his participation in a women’s meeting this weekend.
He has faced significant backlash since Sunday after footage emerged of him saying: “Do you want me to speak or not?” I am the Prime Minister’.
Mr Albanese told the crowd he had initially been asked not to speak, prompting rally organizer Sarah Williams to say this was “an outright lie” as she began to cry.
But in a longer video taken before Albanese addressed the crowd, Ms Williams can be heard saying she did not want politicians, including the Prime Minister, to address the protest.
On Wednesday, Mr Albanese gave his most profound response yet, telling the audience: “I was happy to speak, happy not to speak. The video for that clearly states the opinion on whether that was appropriate or not.
‘This is a very serious problem. We are talking about a woman who dies every four days at the hands of her partner.
‘This isn’t about me. I attended a meeting, I was proud of that, I think as a national leader it is appropriate that I do that. And I stand by that.
‘If you look at the images, I congratulated the organizers of the rally there and said very positive things. I wish everyone who organized that the best of luck. It was a very good thing.’