Criminal charges for sharing revenge porn could be included in proposed laws after Malcolm Turnbull said there was an "intense" concern in the community.
The Senate amended the government's proposed laws, which levy heavy fines on people and corporations who share intimate images of people without their permission, to include provisions for criminal charges.
The prime minister told the coalition party room on Tuesday he was open to keeping the amendments, due to the level of community worry about the issue.
Mr Turnbull said while civil penalties can be effective, the concern in the community is so intense that he is looking carefully at all proposals to control revenge porn.
He said he will speak to Attorney-General Christian Porter and Communications Minister Mitch Fifield about the next steps for the new laws.
The government's bill included penalties of up to $525,000 for corporations and $105,000 for individuals who share intimate images of people without their permission.
But the Nick Xenophon Team, with the support of the opposition and the Greens, passed an amendment making revenge porn a criminal offence.
Those changes were set to be opposed when the bill went back to the House of Representatives, with the government arguing it was already covered by existing laws.
Mr Turnbull's intervention means the government could be prepared to include the criminal provisions when the bill comes back to the lower house.
Under the civil penalty regime, a victim or someone authorised to act on their behalf could complain to the eSafety Commissioner.
The commissioner could then act swiftly - armed with the hefty penalties for perpetrators, social media services and content hosts - to have the images removed and to limit any further sharing.
