Inquiry into sexting

That, under s 33 of the Parliamentary Committees Act 2003, an inquiry into the creating, sharing, sending or posting of sexually explicit messages or images via the internet, mobile phones or other electronic devices by people, especially young people, (known as 'sexting') be referred to the Law Reform Committee for consideration and report no later than 30 June 2012*, including:

1. the incidence, prevalence and nature of sexting in Victoria;
2. the extent and effectiveness of existing awareness and education about the social and legal effect and ramifications of sexting;
3. the appropriateness and adequacy of existing laws, especially criminal offences and the application of the sex offenders register, that may apply to the practice of sexting, particularly with regard to the creation, possession and transmission of sexually suggestive or explicit messages and images in circumstances where a person:

• creates, or consents to the creation of, the message or image for his or her own private use and/or the use of one or more other specific persons; or
  
• creates, or consents to the creation of, the message or image and without their knowledge and/or their consent the message or image is disseminated more broadly than the person intended.
  

*The reporting date was extended to 30 December 2012 by resolution of the Legislative Assembly on 28 March 2012. The reporting date was further extended to 18 April 2013 by resolution of the Legislative Assembly on 12 December 2012. The reporting date was further extended to 30 May 2013 by resolution of the Legislative Assembly on 17 April 2013.