Move to ban inmates from social media to protect victims

Notorious inmates in Australian prisons could be banned from using friends or associates to set up social media accounts.

Victorian corrections Minister Ben Carroll is pushing for a ban in his state being adopted nationally, and the plans will be discussed at high-level talks in Canberra tomorrow.

"The Victorian government is calling for uniform national laws to prevent third party communications in the name of prisoners," Mr Carroll said today.

Earlier this year, Victoria banned prisoners from using third parties to setting up social media accounts on their behalf.

"Posts in prisoners' names can be distressing to victims of crime and can also threaten the security and good order of the prison system," Mr Carroll said.

He will speak at the corrective services ministers conference held tomorrow.

Craig Minogue, who was convicted in 1986 of Melbourne's Russell Street bombing that killed one police officer and wounded 22 other people, is one high profile prisoner who has used a third party to post regularly to twitter.

He has taken his fight to the supreme court saying the ban denies him his 'basic human rights.'

Corrections authorities have recently cracked down on Minogue's tweeting, which he has done by relaying messages to a contact outside of prison who then posts them on his behalf.