A CHARITY set up to honour the legacy of a Frankston teenager who died by suicide has received $450,000 in federal government funding.
SmackTalk was established by Wayne Holdsworth after the tragic death of his son Mac in 2023. Mac, who had fallen victim to sexual extortion, was aged just 17 when he died.
Holdsworth founded SmackTalk the following year to help teenagers, families, and communities understand the warning signs of extortion. He has since presented the program nationwide, highlighting the danger of online threats and campaigning for suicide prevention measures.
Last week, communication minister Anika Wells announced that the federal government would spend $450,000 to help SmackTalk “train and reach more parents, community members and facilitators, develop free educational materials, and collaborate with partners nationally to ensure a coordinated response to this growing online harm.”
“Teenagers who thought they had nowhere to turn have told us that SmackTalk training saved their lives. Online sexual extortion can have devastating effects – and no one knows that more than Wayne Holdsworth,” Wells said. “The Albanese Government is proud to support Wayne in expanding Mac’s legacy and preventing the immense pain and distress caused by online sexual extortion. Impactful education and training are some of the tools in our fight to keep young people in Australia safe online, alongside our work-leading social media minimum age law and digital duty of care.”
Holdsworth said that the new funding “will save lives”.
“Sexual extortion is a scourge that is designed to target our most vulnerable – Australian youth. Mac was one of those targeted and it subsequently had a significant negative impact on him,” Holdsworth said. “SmackTalk will now be able to expand its reach into regional and rural Australia, helping to mitigate the risk of sexual extortion through education.
“I am so very grateful for the support and the commitment to young Australians by the Australian Government and Minister Wells. On behalf of Mac, who is looking down on us with pride – thank you.”
First published in the Frankston Times – 23 June 2026
