While debate rages about just how bad the “piracy problem” in Australia is, a new report released during a film industry conference has confirmed that one thing is for sure – more Aussies than ever are illegally downloading music, movies, and television content and are doing it more often, leading to concern from many industry figures.

As News Limited reports, figures released today at the Australian International Movie Convention on the Gold Coast and presented by Lori Flekser of the IP Awareness Foundation reveal that 29 percent of Australians aged 18-64 are active pirates, indicating a four percent rise in the past year.

“There are not only more people doing it – but those people are doing it more frequently and those are both huge problems,” said Flekser. “The flip side of that, and the good news, is that it is still not the social norm amongst most age groups. It is still the activity of a smallish minority.”

Breaking it down demographically, the recent figures reveal that 14 percent of 12-13 year olds actively pirate, with 36 percent of 16-17 year olds, and a peak figure of 54 percent in the 18-24 year old age bracket, the latter being one of the most highly coveted demographics in consumer media.

“We’re in a terrible state,” said Wolf Creek actor John Jarratt. “We have people stealing millions of dollars and the government is sitting there doing nothing. The Labour government and the Liberal government since 2008 have sat on their hands and watched people who work in the entertainment industry – film and music – getting robbed of millions and done nothing about it.”

According to Flekser, the foundation’s figures indicate that 52 percent of Australians agree that the internet needs more regulation in order to prevent pirates from illegally downloading or streaming content and that both government legislation and the involvement of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) is required to curb the prevalence of piracy.

“There needs to be a clear framework that protects copyright,” she said. “Surprisingly, even among pirates, the majority of people agree there needs to be legislation that stops people from downloading illegally. Last year’s qualitative research among teenagers showed that one of the key reasons they pirate is because nobody is stopping them.”

However, Flekser argues that part of the onus is on parents to educate their children, with figures showing parents who pirate content are more likely to have children who do the same and that 85 percent of children have never had a conversation about the issue with their parents.

“Teenagers admit that the parents are the key source of their behaviour,” said Flekser. “Parents are very scared of their kids being victims online but the seldom think of them as being perpetrators online.”

While the foundation’s figures are damning, debate continues on the extent of piracy in Australia and whether or not it is on the rise.

According to a 2012 report by Fairfax Media, Australians illegally download music more frequently, by head of population, than any other country, though recent figures released by Spotify indicate music piracy is declining thanks to the increased prevalence of streaming services.

Meanwhile, Lifehacker Australia reported back in April that Australia is not in fact the world’s worst perpetrator when it comes to downloading popular HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones, as is so often claimed. According to the site, the claim is based on faulty statistics.

Whatever the reality may be, it’s clear that industry and government officials won’t abide any level of piracy for much longer and that things may be coming to a head. As The Australian reported in August, Attorney-General George Brandis has warned ISPs that they can no longer play the role of “innocent bystanders” in his ongoing war against piracy, indicating he would pursue legislation if he faces resistance.

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