National roundtable at Parliament House to address rise in AI-facilitated child sexual exploitation
ICMEC Australia
Date: Thursday, 17 July 2025
Location: Dorothy Tangey Alcove, Parliament House, Canberra
Media briefing and interview opportunities: 9:30–10:00 a.m.
On Thursday, 17 July, senior leaders from across Australia’s government, law enforcement, technology, and child protection sectors will gather at Parliament House for a national roundtable on the growing threat of AI-facilitated child sexual exploitation.
For the first time in Australia, this landmark forum will put child safety in the age of AI on the national agenda. The roundtable will bring together key decision-makers to explore how AI can protect children, address technologies that pose risks to them, and drive urgent policy reform and investment in AI safety solutions.
Hosted by ICMEC Australia, participants include:
- Anne Hollonds, National Children's Commissioner
- Dr Rick Brown, Deputy Director, Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC)
- Dr Joel Scanlan, Senior Lecturer in cybersecurity and privacy at the University of Tasmania, and co-lead of the CSAM Deterrence Centre.
- Professor Jeannie Marie Patterson, founding co-director of the Centre of AI and Digital Ethics at the University of Melbourne.
- Alison Geale, CEO, Bravehearts
- Toby Dagg, General Manager, eSafety Commissioner
- Jon Rouse APM, internationally recognised child protection expert with nearly 40 years in law enforcement, leading global efforts to combat online child sexual exploitation
- Colm Gannon, CEO, ICMEC Australia
- Grace Tame, Grace Tame Foundation
“This roundtable represents a pivotal moment for child protection in Australia,” said Colm Gannon, CEO of ICMEC Australia. “AI is being weaponised to harm children, and Australia must act swiftly to prevent these technologies from outpacing our systems of protection.”
Alarming new figures from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) revealed a 1,325% surge in child sexual exploitation material reports involving generative AI, rising from 4,700 in 2023 to more than 67,000 in 2024.
Why this roundtable matters: AI is enabling new forms of child exploitation, including synthetic CSAM, deepfakes, automated grooming, and child-like AI personas. These threats are compounding a national crisis: more than one in four Australians report having experienced sexual abuse in childhood (ACMS).
The national roundtable builds on ICMEC Australia’s SaferAI for Children's Coalition’s 2024 discussion paper and 2025 call to action. It is a key opportunity for Australia to lead globally on child protection and AI governance, whilst encouraging industry innovation through ‘Safety by Design’.
“If we act now, Australia can set a global benchmark for ethical AI and child protection,” said Gannon.
“Children’s safety must be at the centre of how we think about and regulate AI in Australia,” said Sonya Ryan, CEO of The Carly Ryan Foundation. “We welcome this urgent dialogue. Technology is advancing rapidly, and without decisive, child-centred action, we risk failing to protect children from new and emerging threats”.
“We are seeing AI generate entirely new types of child abuse material. This is a turning point,” said Jon Rouse.
Spokespeople available for interview on 17th July, 9.30 am:
- Colm Gannon, CEO, ICMEC Australia
- Anne Hollonds, National Children’s Commissioner
- Toby Dagg, General Manager, eSafety Commissioner
- Grace Tame, Grace Tame Foundation
- Alison Geale, CEO, Bravehearts
- Jon Rouse APM, Childlight Australia
Key Facts:
National roundtable at Parliament House to address rise in AI-facilitated child sexual exploitation
Date: Thursday, 17 July 2025
Location: Dorothy Tangey Alcove, Parliament House, Canberra
Media briefing and interview opportunities: 9:30–10:00 a.m.
Senior leaders from across Australia’s government, law enforcement, technology, and child protection sectors will gather at Parliament House for a national roundtable on the growing threat of AI-facilitated child sexual exploitation.
About us:
ICMEC Australia serves as a crucial resource in the fight against child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA). We are boldly confronting this issue when most would rather avoid it. Alongside our coalition of partners, we strive to proactively combat and prevent its occurrence.
Contact details:
For more information or to arrange interviews:
Elisabeth Drysdale / Ashleigh Skalecky
[email protected] Ph: 0426 280 270 www.icmec.org.au
