Is Senator Conroy feeling the heat? In response to questions from Senator Minchin during estimates about how the Government would impose mandatory ISP filtering, Senator Conroy said one option is that it could be on a voluntary basis where ISPs could voluntarily agree to introduce it. But wait, isn’t it mandatory? Conroy is a little confused.
“Mandatory ISP filtering would conceivably involve legislation … voluntary is available currently to ISPs,” Senator Conroy said.
“One option is potentially legislation. One other option is that it could be (on a) voluntary basis that they (ISPs) could voluntarily agree to introduce it.”
In response Senator Minchin said he had never heard of a voluntary mandatory system.
Senator Conroy responded with “well they could agree to all introduce it”.
That’s right. Because they are all lining up now aren’t they Senator?
Perhaps Senator Conroy is coming to terms with the fact his policy is unworkable and his pen-on-paper-napkin goals unachievable. Is this a sign that he’s attempting to shift the actual creation of this already rejected policy onto ISPs? I’m going to wait and see what happens over the next week.
According to Aus IT, a spokesperson for Senator Conroy ‘refused to clarify the minister’s comments when asked whether the Labor government was prepared to accept a voluntary ISP-level internet filtering scheme’.
To the tune of Band on the Run… Policy on the run, policy onnnn the run…
16 comments
Jon Biddell says:
May 26, 2009
This is absolute bullshit.
*I* am responsible for what my children view on the Internet, not some luddite government minister who doesn’t understand the Internet.
Don’t know how to control your kids viewing habits ? LEARN !!
Nick says:
May 26, 2009
Jon Biddell.. Totally Agree!
Asher Moses says:
May 26, 2009
My understanding of the comments is it will still be mandatory for users, but Conroy may do a deal with ISPs so they introduce filtering voluntarily (i.e. without legislation).
Simon says:
May 27, 2009
Its a shame when the government needs the money the most, Conroy has been let off the chain to spend spend spend just to try and cover his butt. Rudd needs the guts to sack him and try and recover some of the wasted resources… and then replace him with someone that knows the difference between torrents and child porn.
Phil says:
May 27, 2009
The Govt may want Filering to be Mandatory but without legislation cannot force it on ISP (and I can think of at half a dozen straight off the bat who would tell the Govt. to stick it where the sun don’t shine) and without legislation there’s nothing the Govt. can do to ‘punish’ those ISP’s who don’t implement it.
Game over Conroy, thanks for playing.
Glenn says:
May 27, 2009
Conroid must know that this will be voted down in the Senate, so he will do anything to get to get this filter through without legislation by handing it over to ISPs. Shows you how much respect I have for the guy.
Syd Walker says:
May 27, 2009
It’d often hard to understand what Conroy means and this is a case in point. Like Dubya, his incoherent use of language gives him plausible deniability on just about everything.
How can you take an illiterate literally?
Hammy says:
May 27, 2009
I’m increasingly convinced that he will back away from this stupid idea completely. I’m not saying we should be any less vigilant – it still scares the crap out of me – but he does seem to be toning it down.
Dan says:
May 27, 2009
Filtering IS already voluntary and always has been. It has never been unlawful to install filtering software on your computer.
Syd Walker says:
May 27, 2009
Is this scenario too cynical to imagine?
1/ Government announces a gigantic $40+ billion bucketload of cash will be coming soon to the IT industry to set up a new hyper-zippy network.
2/ Government invites all ISPs to participate in this bonanza, including Telstra.
3/ Government makes it clear that only ISPs that ‘voluntarily’ impose ‘filtering’ on their customers can get a piece of the lucrative action.
4/ Telstra, Optus and the other biggies roll over (shareholders would probably insist).
5/ Any ISPs that say no will be dealt with. over time, by other merans – and frozen out of the $40 billion bonanza.
In this scenario, the famous Hitler video is the wrong analogy. This is much more like the way a magnate expands his Empire.
Buy – using the power of the purse.
Is the Rudd Government planning to use tens of billions of the public’s cash to bribe/bully ISPs into submission?
Sean the Blogonaut says:
May 27, 2009
Jim Wallace and his right wing christian stooges are crying broken promises over this backflip. Funny thing is that it never was a promise was it, a mandatory scheme?
fiona patten says:
May 29, 2009
Conroy told me a few months ago that they had never planned to include X and R material in the mandatory filter and I had it wrong. Now he is saying that the mandatory filter is to be voluntary. I am still very suspicious but I think we may see a new communications minister soon. Hopefully one that is capable of communicating.
Glenn says:
May 29, 2009
Yes, and there was talk that the PM would be reshuffle his cabinet after this year’s budget, and that Conroid would be in the firing line. So what happened to that?
Rob Masters says:
May 31, 2009
Um. So the filter would be voluntary, but everyone would have to have it.
So, something like requiring a license to run an ISP, and not issuing one to an ISP that does not have the filter – due to some minor technicality, of course, nothing to do with the filter.
Sounds rather … cold-war era Eastern Bloc to me!
(I know, tin-foil hat and all, but it’s the only time I’ve ever heard of that sort of setup!)
Tobias says:
Jun 5, 2009
What a nice piece of hypocrisy. Stephen Conroy agrees not to legislate to introduce an internet filter, so long as all of the ISPs agree to “voluntarily” introduce an internet filter.
Tales From Beyond The Grave: The Internet Filter. | The Refined Geek says:
Jun 23, 2011
[...] seems that whilst the funding for a “mandatory voluntary” filter was indeed dropped in this year’s budget due to limited interest (or was that [...]