Sending porn to be banned

DISTRIBUTING pornography on mobile phones will attract a prison term or harsh fines under laws to go to federal Parliament later this year.

Communications Minister Helen Coonan said yesterday the new laws, which would also apply to subscriber-based internet sites as well as hand-held devices, were intended to shield children from exposure to porn.

“Scammers, con artists, thieves, fraudsters and worse, pedophiles and pornographers, can quickly adapt to using more treacherous and sophisticated methods of committing their crimes,” she said.