Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
AAP
AAP
Politics
Maeve Bannister

Dating apps meet with government on reform

A survey shows women experience high rates of sexual violence on online dating services. (Dan Peled/AAP PHOTOS) (AAP)

Dating app operators will meet with the federal government to discuss safety measures and areas for potential law reform.

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland will meet with representatives in the new year and says online safety has become a growing community concern.

"Every Australian deserves to live free from harassment and all forms of violence, including those using dating apps," she said.

Ms Rowland first met with representatives in November after a survey by the Australian Institute of Criminology revealed high rates of sexual violence, stalking, assault and unwanted sharing of explicit images on online dating services.

Three-quarters of survey respondents had been victims of some form of online sexual violence in the past five years.

One-third experienced in-person abuse from someone they met on an app, with 27 per cent of those reporting incidents of sexual assault or coercion, such as drink spiking.

This month a NSW man who police allege had a long history of domestic violence was charged with the murder of a woman he met online.

The case has sparked calls for reforms to stop people with a known violent background registering on dating apps.

The government is preparing to work with dating apps and online services to improve safety using knowledge from police, domestic violence experts and victim-survivors.

Dating apps and websites will be pushed to do more to keep users safe by having easy reporting processes, support for abuse victims and policies to hold perpetrators accountable.

1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)

Lifeline 13 11 14

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.