Australia’s Mandatory Internet Filtering plan scrapped in favour of INTERPOL block list
The Australian Government will no longer introduce Mandatory Filtering legislation in Australia. Labor’s planned filtering legislation would have seen a broad range of legal content (originally defined as “prohibited content” and later re-framed as content that had been “refused classification”) blocked to Australian Internet users. Instead ISPs will now be required to restrict access to...
Filter on hold until 2011, post election
by Tim Biggs The Federal Government’s mandatory internet filter will not likely be introduced for a year, until after a review of what content would be blocked. Stephen Conroy today announced a new set of ‘transparency and accountability’ measures that will be introduced alongside the filter, and chief among them are changes to the Refused...
Four Corners and Q&A look at Rudd’s net censorship plans
Just a quick reminder folks that both Four Corners and Q&A on ABC this evening (Monday, May 10) are about Labor’s Internet censorship policy (which is still very much on their agenda, despite some reports claiming it’s been ditched). You can tune into Four Corners at 8:30PM and Q&A at 9:35PM, both on ABC1. Four...
Giveaway: Ticket to Sydney IQ2Oz net censorship debate, May 11
Update 6:40PM May 6: Ticket is still available. I can’t make it down to Sydney next week as planned, so my ticket to IQ2 Oz’s Governments should not censor the Internet debate to be held at Angel Place (Tuesday May 11 at 6:30PM) is up for grabs. The only catch is I’d like the winner...
Conroy to debate Newton, Lumby, Jacobs on Radio National
Senator Conroy will debate ISP filtering with Colin Jacobs from Electronic Frontiers Australia, network engineer Mark Newton and Professor Catharine Lumby on Radio National this Monday the 29th of March at 6PM AEDT. Michael Grace from Internet filtering and web access company Netsweeper will also be on. The full details are on the Australia Talks...
Conroy attempts to sell filter on 7PM Project as Google slams the plan
In his first major TV appearance regarding the filter since Q&A and Insight in early 2009, Senator Conroy will head back to the tube Wednesday evening in an attempt to sell government’s mandatory net censorship plan to the masses on Channel 10’s The 7PM Project. A rare occurrence for a Minister we are used to...
Fielding beats Ludlam to a seat on Cyber-Safety Committee
Update 17 March 2010: Here’s some interesting news. Ludlam has now won the seat, previously reported as being awarded to Senator Fielding. Senator Fielding – 35 votes, Senator Ludlam – 37 votes. Was this a revote? Family First Senator Steve Fielding has won a seat reserved for minor party and independent senators on the Joint...
Classification Board responds to small breasts ban
Important Update, 01/02/10: The Classification Board has confirmed that a person’s appearance is used when they determine the apparent age of a model. The ACB’s Director refused to comment on specifics about breast size. Read more. The Australian Classification Board (ACB) has responded to accusations by The Australian Sex Party that material with depictions of...
Australia bans small breasts
Important Update, 01/02/10: The Classification Board has confirmed that a person’s appearance is used when determining the apparent age of a model. The ACB’s Director refused to comment on specifics about breast size. Read more. The Australian Sex Party (ASP) said Wednesday that the Australian Classification Board (ACB) is now banning depictions of small-breasted women...
Great Australian Internet Blackout: Early numbers are in
As many of you know, hundreds of websites turned black this Australia Day (and many will remain so for the rest of the week) to protest the Government’s plan to censor the Internet. It might not have been as popular as beach BBQs or beer and the cricket, but initial numbers are a good sign...
Inadvertently exposed: the ALP’s obsession with universal censorship
by Jon Seymour When you are a Government of a Western nation about to introduce a mandatory censorship regime unlike anything in the else in the Western world it is a good idea to try to play up comparisons with social democracies like Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland and our Commonwealth cousins the UK and...
National net censorship protests: January 30 2010
Protests against mandatory Internet censorship will be held Australia wide on Saturday January 30, 2010. A Facebook page for the event has been set up, with over 1700 people already confirmed as attending. Specific protest locations are still to be announced, but one is planned for each capital city. I’ll update this page when I...
