'I don't understand': Revenge porn victim speaks out as NSW makes it a crime
People who post revenge porn images of former partners could be jailed for up to three years under laws to be introduced in NSW.
People caught posting sexually explicit images of former partners online could also be fined up to $11,000 for posting the intimate images without consent.
With thousands of people falling victim to so-called revenge pornography the state government says its time for a crackdown to make intimate image abuse a crime.
Noelle Martin never knew she was a part of, but after a simple search she uncovered a sinister world.
"A lot of my social media images were stolen," she told 7 News.
"They became altered and photoshopped into porn."
Lewd images of the 22-year-old were splashed across pornography sites, some viewed hundreds of thousands of times.
"I don't understand how you can degrade, humiliate, shame, violate another human like that," she said.
NSW Attorney-General Mark Speakman said the new bill would give victims the right to ensure culprits were held to account.
"The impact on victims has been enormous there is an enormous impact on their emotional well being on their relationships and even on job prospects and this has to stop," he told 7 News.
In a statement released Sunday, Mr Speakman said the bill "will empower victims and provide them with the legal right to ensure that perpetrators can no longer get away with such disgraceful behaviour".
The bill will be introduced into parliament this week, but Mr Speakman said it would not criminalise behaviour between consenting adults.
Threatening to record or distribute revenge porn will also be criminalised in NSW under the proposed legislation.
The federal government released a discussion paper seeking feedback on proposed scaled penalties for revenge porn on Saturday.
Under proposed changes, civil penalties could be handed down from the eSafety Commissioner, who would be granted extra powers to investigate complaints.
RMIT University's Dr Nicola Henry said the proposed NSW legislation could serve as an inspiration for other jurisdictions around Australia and the world.
One in five Australians have been victim to image-based bullying, ranging from revenge porn to harassment or blackmail.
However, courts will only have the power to punish perpetrators and remove illicit content within NSW - unlike a national response that would ensure criminals in every state are held to account.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said, "Certainly as a state government we are trying to do all we can there are obviously are issues outside our jurisdiction."
- With AAP
