Cyber-bullying should be a crime that carries a three-month prison sentence for the worst adult offenders, a former chief justice of the Family Court says.
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The Abbott government invited public comment on a policy paper detailing its proposals to make children safer online in January, which included options for a new cyber-bullying offence for minors.
Alastair Nicholson, who is also the chairman of the National Centre Against Bullying, said repeat child offenders could be sentenced to a maximum three months' detention, and three months' prison in the case of adults.
He said he had met many parents and young people who had reported cyber-bullying to Victoria Police, but been turned away because it was not criminal.
He hoped that criminalising cyber-bullying would deter people from doing it. ''I don't for a moment think the law's going to cure it … but I do think in most areas the law does have a capacity to set boundaries.''
The Australian Human Rights Commission said in its submission that providing better education to students, parents and teachers and law enforcement agencies should be made.
Fairfax Media reported last week that Facebook, Twitter and Google had opposed a policy to remove ''harmful material'' from social media sites as ''too cumbersome''.
