‘Has to stop': NSW opposition's plan to criminalise AI deepfakes
The Bill, which is yet to be introduced to parliament, would create new criminal offences in NSW for producing and/or distributing sexually explicit deepfakes.
It would also cover threats to share deepfakes without consent, including privately, and empower courts to order the removal of 'synthetic abuse' material.
Opposition leader Mark Speakman said women and girls in NSW had been left exposed by a failure by the Labor government to keep pace with new technology.
'This is a form of abuse, plain and simple. Women and girls are being targeted, violated, and humiliated by code,' Mr Speakman said.
'The emotional toll is devastating. Victims are often left without recourse, knowing these fake images can live on the internet forever.'
Shadow attorney-general Alister Henskins said the law 'must modernise' to recognise digitally faked images, audio, and video were a 'crime'.
'If it's not your body or voice, it's not your right to control another person's autonomy. That principle must be written into NSW law,' Mr Henskins said.
In 2023, sexually explicit deepfake videos accounted for 98 per cent of the 95,820 deepfake videos that were online – most of them depicting women.
An April report by the NSW Parliamentary Research Service found that intimate image offences were 'not designed with deepfakes in mind'.
The report found the existing offences had become outdated in a 'relatively short period of time' due to the rapid advancement of technology.
Recent Commonwealth offences, also applicable in NSW, were also found to be unable to 'do all the work' when it came to deepfakes.
It comes more than three years after the death of 15-year-old Matilda 'Tilly' Rosewarne, who took her own life after bullying that included a fake nude image.
Her mother, Emma Mason, attended the NSW and South Australian governments' joint summits earlier this year into the effects of social media on youths.
The national eSafety Commission found last year that there had been a 550 per cent increase in explicit deepfakes year on year since 2019, many made with AI.
NSW opposition spokeswoman for women Felicity Wilson said the impact of AI deepfakes was being felt by women 'every single day, across the state'.
'It's happening in our schools, where teachers and students are being targeted,' she said.
'It's happening in our sporting fields, where our women athletes are being targeted, in our workplaces, and in people's homes, where it's being used for control and oppressing women in relationships.'
Ms Wilson said women were 'crying out' for better action and called on men to support the legislation.
'We know that AI can be an incredibly powerful tool for good, but when it's used to abuse and degrade and humiliate women, that is something that's no longer innovation,' she said.
'It's abuse, and we're going to make a difference by passing this legislation through this parliament.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Daily Telegraph
3 minutes ago
- Daily Telegraph
Mushroom cook Erin Patterson broke down during murder trial
Don't miss out on the headlines from Breaking News. Followed categories will be added to My News. For ten weeks, Erin Patterson remained composed as a jury decided whether a poisoned beef Wellington lunch she cooked was a deliberate and callous act of murder, or a tragic accident. She was found guilty of the murders of three family members and the attempted murder of a fourth with the meal that had been spiked with death cap mushrooms on July 29, 2023, at her home in a small Victorian dairy town. Now the verdict is in, a key moment of weakness in the second week of the trial that saw her break down sobbing moments after the jury left the room can be revealed. The mother-of-two had spent two days listening to her son and daughter's interviews with police, with topics ranging from what the kids knew of the lunch, what they did after, and the disintegration of their parents' marriage. Erin Patterson was found guilty of three counts of murder after preparing the fatal beef Wellington lunch that ended in the deaths of three family members. Picture: Brooke Grebert-Craig. Photos of the remnants of the beef Wellington meal, taken in for testing, were released after the trial found Erin Patterson guilty of three counts of murder. Picture: Supplied Patterson, wearing a long brown cardigan and green top, sat in the dock watching a screen as video showed her daughter telling police she wasn't present at the lunch, 'so I don't know what happened'. The nine-year-old told her interviewer her mum told her she would be going to see a movie with her older brother and another boy the morning of the lunch. She said she saw 'meat' in the oven and Patterson was making a coffee as she explained she wanted to have lunch with her in-laws to discuss 'adult stuff'. 'I don't exactly know what they had but I know (brother) and me had leftovers the next day,' she said. The young girl said she went to the cinema around midday on July 29, had McDonald's for lunch and was picked up by her dad Simon Patterson, whom she spent the evening with. Later that night, the girl said Patterson told them they were having 'leftovers' with meat, mashed potato and green beans served. 'She wasn't really hungry so (brother) ate the rest of hers,' she said. There was no suggestion during the trial that the children's meals were contaminated with death cap mushrooms. The girl told police Patterson loved to cook and she would often help to bake sweet treats. Her older brother's interview was played next, the boy telling police he had arrived home on the day of the fatal lunch about 30 minutes before their grandparents Don and Gail Patterson, and great aunt and uncle Ian and Heather Wilkinson left. He agreed it appeared the group had a good time and said he spoke with his grandfather, Don, about his flying lessons before going to play video games with a friend. Don and Gail Patterson died after ingesting poisonous mushrooms. Picture: supplied Korumburra pastor Ian Wilkinson survived despite being left fighting for life but his wife Heather Wilkinson died after the lunch. Picture: Supplied After they said their goodbyes, the boy said he helped his mother clean up from lunch. 'I remember taking some plates up to the sink and putting them in the dishwasher,' he said. 'I collected all the plates put them in a pile next to the sink … I collected all the glasses put them near the sink.' He said he did not recall any remnants of food on the plates, which he believed were 'plain white' dinner plates about 15cm in diameter. The boy spoke with police about how his mother told him she felt sick the morning after the lunch, forcing them to skip church, but was adamant she would drive him the hour to his flying lesson. He told officers that the following Monday, he and his sister were pulled out of school by their father Simon and taken to the Monash Children's Hospital in Melbourne, where he visited his mother and had three blood tests over Monday and Tuesday before being sent home. The police line of questioning then turned to the relationship between Patterson and her husband, with the boy detailing a 'very negative' shift in his parents' relationship ahead of the fatal lunch. Killer mushroom cook Erin Patterson was convicted after a 10-week trial. Picture: NewsWire / Anita Lester As her son's police interview was played in court, the mother-of-two appeared glassy eyed and trying to hold back tears. The 14-year-old boy said he knew his dad didn't like that Patterson had moved the boy to another school, and wanted to be on the paperwork for his son's new school. 'Dad wouldn't talk to mum about that,' he said. He told the interviewer he and his sister had previously been staying with Simon Patterson after school Friday through to Monday and with Patterson from Monday evening though to Friday morning. But in the past year they had only stayed at their mother's home, by choice. 'For the past year we've been living at mum's, sleeping at mum's, for the last year he's trying to get me and (sister) to stay at his … but I didn't really want to,' he said. 'I told him I really didn't want to because he never did anything with us over the weekend.' Patterson appeared glassy-eyed during the interview, but managed to maintain her composure. Moments after the jury were excused and the room was clear, she broke down in heaving sobs. She was red faced and gasping for breath as her barrister, Colin Mandy SC, walked over to the stand to offer some reassuring words. The only other time Patterson displayed any clear emotion in the courtroom was when she was in the witness box. Her voice faltered and she was seen dabbing her eyes with a tissue whenever she responded to questions about her children. When the jury returned on Tuesday with their verdict, and hundreds gathered outside the courtroom to hear their verdict, Patterson looked only slightly nervous as she tried to meet each juror's eye and failed. She remained expressionless as the forewoman softly said 'guilty' in response to each charge. Patterson, who has maintained her innocence throughout the two-year saga, is expected to appeal the jury's decision. Originally published as Moment mushroom cook Erin Patterson broke down during murder trial

ABC News
31 minutes ago
- ABC News
Carolina Wilga's outback rescuer describes her survival after 12 days in Wheatbelt as 'miracle'
The woman who found missing German backpacker Carolina Wilga by the side of an outback road has described her rescue as miraculous. Ms Wilga was discovered on Friday afternoon, after spending 11 nights exposed to freezing temperatures in WA's Wheatbelt region. Prior to that, Ms Wilga was last seen on June 29 at a general store in Beacon in WA's Wheatbelt, three-and-a-half hours drive north-east of Perth. Police discovered her abandoned vehicle deep in a nature reserve 36 kilometres north of the town on Thursday afternoon and conducted a large-scale aerial search. Police said on Saturday morning Ms Wilga became disoriented while travelling inland before losing control of her car and becoming bogged. She was able to survive on the minimal food she had, and found water from rain and puddles. Police said Ms Wilga sought shelter at night where she could find it, including a cave. About 4:20pm on Friday, Ms Wilga was able to flag down a passing motorist on Maroubra Road, about 24 kilometres from her stranded van, ending her ordeal. Police said on Saturday morning Ms Wilga had been exhausted, dehydrated, had been suffering from sunburn and had an injured foot. The motorist who found her, long-time local farming resident Tania, told the ABC Ms Wilga was very relieved to be picked up. "I was coming back from Beacon because I'd been down to pick up my trailer," she said. "She was on the side of the road waving her hands. "She was probably about 40 kilometres from my homestead. Tania knew straight away it was Ms Wilga, after intensifying media coverage in recent days of the 26-year-old's plight. "Obviously, there is nobody who comes up my way walking around," Tania said. "She was in a fragile state, but she was well. Thin, but well. "She'd been bitten by a lot of midgies. "She said it was very, very cold." Tania, who did not want her surname to be used, said the rescue was a "miracle". "Twelve days. I was thinking the worst," she said. "Every day would be a challenge in this weather. "Everything in this bush is very prickly. I just can't believe that she survived. She had no shoes on, she'd wrapped her foot up. "She's a very resilient person." Tania said it could have been days before another person was travelling on the road where she found Ms Wilga. "Miracle is a word that gets bandied about a lot, but to survive 12 days and cross-country — she went cross country to come to my road," she said.

News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
‘Rural Tasmania': Tasmanian Nationals rule out Coalition with state Liberal Party just days ahead of election
The Tasmanian Nationals have confirmed they will not enter a Coalition agreement with the state Liberal Party, just days ahead of voters heading to the ballot box. Tasmanians will vote on July 19 for the fourth time in seven years, after a snap election was called following a no-confidence motion was granted. But the Tasmanian Liberal Party has now suffered a major setback – with the Nationals ruling out speculation they will automatically help Jeremy Rockliff in his bid to remain as Premier. Nationals candidate for Lyons John Tucker said he wanted to clear up any voter confusion ahead of next week's election. 'The Tasmanian Nationals do not have any agreement for a Coalition, nor supply with the Tasmanian Liberals. Any suggestion otherwise is simply false.' Mr Tucker said. Miriam Beswick and Andrew Jenner also say neither they, nor the Tasmanian Nationals, were locked in to provide support to the Tasmanian Liberals for the next term of parliament. 'I want to assure the voters in Braddon, as well as in Bass and Lyons, should any party find themselves in a position to form a minority Government, we will only discuss these matters once the whole picture has become clear.' Mrs Beswick said. Mr Jenner reiterated he would 'not offer support or supply' to 'another Mr Rockliff-style Liberal government' without a shift in their approach for the state's rural areas. Last month, Mr Rockliff lost a no-confidence motion by just one vote after two days of fiery debate – sparking a move to dissolve the parliament. Governor Barbara Baker granted approval for the election a day after Mr Rockliff made the request in order to end the state's political deadlock. She said she was 'satisfied that there is no real possibility that an alternative government can be formed'. In a statement, released in June, the Governor said she would dissolve parliament and issue the writ for an election on July 19. 'Notwithstanding the recent 2024 election, the public interest in avoiding the cost of another election and the prevailing public mood against holding an election, I have granted Premier Rockliff a dissolution,' Governor Baker said.