ESafety, SAPOL Join Forces Against Online Harms
The eSafety Commissioner and South Australia Police have committed to closer collaboration in the fight against criminal content and other serious online harms.
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant and South Australia Police Commissioner Grant Stevens have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), formalising updated protocols to jointly investigate matters ranging from cyberbullying to image-based abuse, adult cyber abuse and illegal and harmful content.
The MoU will see eSafety share information from investigations into some of the thousands of complaints it receives every month.
“Reports to eSafety of serious cyberbullying, abuse and harmful content continue to grow,” Inman Grant said.
“For example, we received 2,978 cyberbullying complaints in 2024, a 25% jump from the previous year. Of those reports, 46 per cent were in relation to children 13-years-old and younger.
“We have a fantastic partnership with South Australia Police and this MoU will strengthen that by formalising our approach in vital areas of cooperation to improve online safety for South Australians,” Inman Grant said.
South Australia Police Commissioner Grant Stevens echoed this commitment, emphasising the critical role of law enforcement in tackling online threats.
“This MoU will see our continued relationship with eSafety and ensure all parties work together to make the online environment safe for our community,” Commissioner Stevens said.
“We are committed to using our resources to investigate cybercrime matters whether through fraud, child exploitation or abhorrent violent material.”
The MoU covers serious cyberbullying, adult cyber abuse, the sharing of intimate images without consent and the distribution of illegal or restricted content, such as child sexual exploitation and abuse material and extreme violence or terrorism content. This extends to content that “instructs, promotes and encourages crime and violence”, as we are increasingly seeing with youth crime being posted online.
The strengthened partnership has also been welcomed by South Australia’s Police Minister Stephen Mullighan, who highlighted the importance of a united front against online crime.
“The State government welcomes the collaboration between SAPOL and eSafety to help stamp out criminal activity online,” Minister Mullighan said.
“Crimes including cyberbullying, adult cyber abuse and the distribution of illegal content have no place in South Australia and this agreement will strengthen the fight against those illegal activities.
“By sharing resources and jointly investigating online offences, SAPOL and eSafety are in a better position to close the net on online criminals,” Minister Mullighan said.
eSafety also provides information, resources and training to help police officers around Australia deal with online harms ranging from cyberbullying to gender-based violence.
“It is vital that eSafety’s works very closely with law enforcement agencies such as South Australia Police to target perpetrators and identify victims in more serious criminal matters,” Inman Grant said.
“This work with law enforcement complements eSafety’s civil powers to remove harmful content, helping us keep Australians safer – both online, and in the real world.”