Dominic Perrottet to present dating safety campaign at national cabinet

Federal and interstate leaders will be called on to find a way to protect women from violent offenders on dating apps, with Dominic Perrottet to present the push at national cabinet.

Premier Dominic Perrottet will ask his state and federal counterparts to consider how to keep women safe from violent offenders on dating apps.

It can be revealed that Mr Perrottet will put The Daily Telegraph’s Swipe Them Out campaign on national cabinet’s agenda, in a move that will elevate the key issue to a leader-level discussion.

It comes after the NSW government announced “Right to Know” laws that will allow women to check if their partner has been convicted of domestic violence offences in the past.

Politicians and tech giants will hold an urgent summit on dating app safety on Wednesday in response to the Telegraph’s campaign.

Ahead of the summit, Mr Perrottet joined calls for domestic violence perpetrators to be banned from dating apps.

Premier Dominic Perrottet will take the Swipe Them Out campaign to national cabinet. Picture: Seb Haggett

“Too many women are being killed by partners with a violent past,” the Premier told the Telegraph.

“It’s also high time dating apps took more ­responsibility for the products they are selling,” he added.

“If they have an algorithm to make money, they should have the technology in place to keep women safe.”

Mr Perrottet will ask Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to add the issue to national cabinet’s agenda.

“Nothing is more important than keeping our community safe,” he said.

Labor Leader Chris Minns backed the Right to Ask reforms in principle on Monday, and also backed calls to ban domestic violence perpetrators from dating apps.

Minister for Women's Safety and the Prevention of Domestic and Sexual Violence Natalie Ward, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet and NSW Police Force Commissioner Karen Webb met at the Parliament Offices in Sydney to discuss the new law " The Right To Ask". Picture: Gaye Gerard

NSW Minister for Women Bronnie Taylor and Minister for Women’s Safety Natalie Ward on Tuesday wrote to the platforms ahead of a the summit, calling on them to work with police to spread greater awareness about the dangers of the apps.

“The Perrottet-Toole government is offering the assistance of the NSW Police for this safety campaign and will look to establish other ways law enforcement services can work collaboratively with online dating platforms,” they wrote in their letter.

TINDER MAKES MAJOR MOVE TO STAMP OUT ABUSE

Ahead of the summit, dating app Tinder has put together a safety guide and will create a landing page for users to easily see advice on avoiding violent criminals in their search for a partner.

The safety blitz comes after The Daily Telegraph’s Swipe Them Out campaign put tech giants on notice: calling on them to urgently make their platforms safer in the aftermath of another woman losing her life allegedly at the hands of a man she met on a dating app.

The nationwide campaign was created in conjunction with not for profit WESNET and will be available on the app and through the NGO’s platforms.

One in three singles surveyed by Tinder said they were not fully aware of the app’s existing safety features.

What Tinder’s new safety guide will look like.

Pictures: Supplied

The ramped up safety response comes just two days before lawmakers and politicians meet with tech giants in Sydney for a summit on dating app safety in response to the Telegraph’s coverage of the crisis.

“This guide is about empowering people to use dating apps, like Tinder, safely. It’s a reminder for daters to think thoroughly, act accordingly and respond respectfully. This is such important work and we are pleased to be partnering with Tinder to support their efforts and spread awareness amongst Australians – both members and non-members,” WESNET chief executive Karen Bentley.

Tinder Will also launch a new in-app safety campaign to promote the guide and the 1800RESPECT helpline.

Match Group head of trust and safety Buddy Loomes said: “Safety is a priority for us at Tinder and across the Match Group platform. Our members trust us with the most sensitive and vulnerable parts of their lives.

“We have an ongoing commitment to member safety and education and this initiative aims to create more awareness of the safety tools and resources available for our members. We’ll continue to educate our members both on and off the app, through our in-app education campaigns as well as via external campaigns with help from crucial partners like WESNET.”