Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into Sexting tables recommended law changes A SPECIFIC sexting law and changes to child pornography laws to protect children who send explicit messages are part of recommendations tabled today by the Victorian Parliaments Sexting Inquiry. The committee made 14 recommendations, including: That the Government introduce a specific sexting offence under the Summary Offences Act; and changes the child pornography laws so that kids who sext are not charged with an adult offence. It also suggested legislation be introduced to make it an offence for any person to intentionally distribute an intimate image of another person without their consent. Currently adults who send sexting pictures to others without the consent of the person in the picture are unlikely to have committed an offence. Read the Inquiry into Sexting full report (1MB *.pdf) "In stark contrast, however, minors who take or send texting messages of themselves or their peers produce, possess or transmit child pornography under the law, and may suffer serious and lasting legal, social and employment repercussions if they are charged," Committee Chairman Clem Newton-Brown said. The committee recommended that minors who can legally engage in sexual relations with one another should not be regarded as child pornographers if they take a photo or video of that activity. However, if there is more than a two year age difference between the minor depicted in an explicit image or recording and the person who possesses it, it should be treated as a child pornography offence. The committee said if the government introduced a non-consensual sexting offence it could be a world first. Other recommendations included introducing an education program in schools about safety in internet and communications technologies and looking at setting up specific tribunal to deal with complaints about harmful digital communications. Attorney-General Robert Clark said the Government welcomed the report and it would carefully consider the recommendations, including the legislative amendments. The Government has six months to table a response to the report.