Minchin’s press release concludes with an appeal to the Government to: “re-think its plan to stop providing Australians with free pc-based Internet content filters at the end of 2008.”

I may have missed discussion about this eslewhere, but that’s the first time I’ve heard this said. If true, it strikes me as remarkable, amazing, reprenensible, bizarre…. words fail, really. If the Government is SO bothered about the safety of kids, why stop this service now – before anything else is fully in place?

I strongly agree with Jon Seymour’s suggestion: “We need to make the ALP understand that until they completely and thoroughly repudiate this plan, the will not win back control of the Senate. Let this campaign begin now.”

It’s a great idea – because it’s an extremely credible threat. Rudd and the ALP pundits may imagine that come the next election day, this issue will be drowned out by others. ALP voters are unlikely to switch allegiance and vote against the ALP GOvernment over one issue alone, if they fear a Coalition Government.

But we could, if necessary, punish the ALP in the Senate. There’s a long time to organize that campaign… lots of people to do it. The argument is clean and simple: “Vote against the ALP in the Senate. Don’t trust Labor with control of the Senate. It’s likely to use it to trash our civil liberties.”

I hope Rudd’s staffers read this blog.

I believe that if the mandatory filter goes through, it will cost the Labor Party the next election.

Good call. What would you trust to keep your kids safe in the pool – watching them, teaching them to swim, or a government-mandated surveillance system which detects drowning and empties all the water?

Let this campaign begin now.

jon.