A former Mid West police chief says social networking sites which incite violence and bullying are “poison” and called for strict penalties to be imposed on offenders.

Chief operating offi cer of the Aboriginal Affairs Co-ordinating Committee Ross Tomasini said platforms, such as Diva Chat and Facebook, were inflaming heated relationships in Aboriginal communities.

“They’re both poison as far as the Aboriginal community goes, they really are,” he said of the social media sites.

“It seems to be another tool to keep the rumour mill and the agro running.”

Diva Chat is a free networking facility available to owners of prepaid Telstra 3G mobile phones.

Mr Tomasini said it and other social networking counterparts would have fuelled the recent mass brawl at Mullewa, where a girl was stabbed.

The former Mid West Gascoyne superintendent said more needed to be done to curb the individuals who rouse violence through social media.

“These mediums are impacting on Aboriginal communities right through the north of Australia,” he said.

“They’re being used as tools to generate violence in the communities.”

“The suppliers are quite responsive but there needs to be the ability to actually ‘nuke’ the phones associated with it.

“Police can take people off over night but it’s so easy to get back on with a different title.”

Diva Chat is operated by a Canadian company, but the service is provided locally through Telstra.

Telstra general area manager for the central west region Tony Carmichael said the network had no legal authority to ban individuals.

But he said Telstra regularly made the public aware of positive and safe use of Diva Chat through marketing campaigns.

Earlier this month, an Aboriginal elder in Queensland called for social networking sites to be banned in the remote community of Doomadgee.

The elder claimed misuse of the platforms had escalated family clashes.

In Darwin, Federal Police have been educating children on cyber safety to highlight the ramification of ‘sexting’ and cyber bullying.

A similar program is being implemented in Carnarvon and Mr Tomasini says one is needed in the Mid West.

“There’s got to be an education program right across the length and breadth of the community,” he said.

“There also needs to be some energy put into prosecuting these people for the defamation and the injury that they cause.

“Maybe that would send the message that it isn’t okay, but at this stage the consequences for the perpetrators is very low.”