The Minns Labor Government has passed legislation strengthening protections against image-based abuse by outlawing the creation and sharing of sexually explicit deepfakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Government has zero tolerance for image-based abuse, which is disproportionately targeted at women and girls and is the latest frontier in gender-based abuse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
AI-generated sexually explicit deepfakes are increasing in prevalence and have become more realistic amid advances in technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The material can be used as part of sextortion schemes, including where perpetrators threaten to release further explicit content unless victims comply with demands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The circulation of this material can be extremely distressing, humiliating, degrading or intimidating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The reforms expand offences related to the production and distribution of intimate images without consent, including covering those created entirely using artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The amendments to the Crimes Act 1900 <\/em>make the production of a sexually explicit deepfake designed to be a genuine depiction of a real, identifiable person an offence punishable by up to three years\u2019 jail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sharing or threatening to share such images, even if the person hasn’t created them, is also a crime punishable by up to three years\u2019 jail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to these new offences, the Government has criminalised the non-consensual creation, recording and distribution of sexually explicit audio, whether real or designed to sound like a real, identifiable person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Crimes Amendment (Intimate Images and Audio Material) Bill 2025<\/em> passed the upper house late Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is already a crime in NSW to record or distribute intimate images of a person without their consent or to threaten to do so. This includes distributing photos that have been digitally altered, but not images wholly created using AI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Existing court takedown powers will apply to these expanded offences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The NSW Government has zero tolerance for the non-consensual production and distribution of sexually explicit material \u2013 regardless of how it is created.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Labor Government is giving law enforcement and prosecutors the tools they need to go after those involved in this abuse, while deterring those considering creating this material.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The changes do not affect existing child abuse material offences that already criminalise the production, possession and dissemination of explicit material of a child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Premier of New South Wales Chris Minns said:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere is no place for gender-based abuse in NSW, and that includes through the use of deepfakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “These are important changes to keep women safe from this insidious form of abuse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis legislation sends a clear message: those who seek to target women using this technology now face serious consequences.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Attorney General Michael Daley said:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe are making sure our laws keep pace with rapidly evolving technology and ensures women are better protected from all forms of AI-generated sexual exploitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNon-consensual, sexually explicit deepfakes are a form of abuse disproportionately targeted at women and young girls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis bill ensures people who seek to objectify, intimidate or degrade women using AI can be prosecuted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Minister for Women and the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Jodie Harrison said:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe passing of this bill is another way the Minns Labor Government is building a safer New South Wales for women and girls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThese new laws build on and modernise the existing framework by strengthening and expanding current offences to protect women from exploitation through explicit deepfake material.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI thank the many stakeholders, including Full Stop Australia and Domestic Violence NSW, who provided crucial feedback in the development of this bill.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n NSW Women\u2019s Safety Commissioner Hannah Tonkin said:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m pleased that we have seen the passage of legislation to criminalise AI-driven deepfakes. Sexually explicit deepfakes can be weaponised to cause immense harm in the real world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWomen and girls are the main targets of deepfakes, and the impacts of their dissemination can be devastating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis legislation sends an important message that image-based abuse will not be tolerated, and it brings NSW in line with other jurisdictions that are striving to limit the impacts of this terrifying technology.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Full Stop Australia CEO Karen Bevan said:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe welcome the passage of this legislation, which strengthens legal protections for victim-survivors of image-based abuse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTechnology-facilitated abuse is growing rapidly, with perpetrators continually finding new and dangerous ways to exploit emerging technologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe legislation sends a strong message that this abuse is unacceptable, and perpetrators will be held accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Support: <\/strong>Anyone impacted by sexual violence can contact the NSW Sexual Violence Helpline 24\/7 on 1800 424 017<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Minns Labor Government has passed legislation strengthening protections against image-based abuse by outlawing the creation and sharing of sexually explicit deepfakes. The Government has zero tolerance for image-based abuse, which is disproportionately targeted at women and girls and is the latest frontier in gender-based abuse. AI-generated sexually explicit deepfakes are increasing in prevalence and … Continue reading “Minns Labor Government strengthens protections against deepfakes and image-based abuse”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35000","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-aussie"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35000","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35000"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35000\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35001,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35000\/revisions\/35001"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35000"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35000"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35000"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}