If it wasn’t such a serious issue (and one that has been around for well over a year in Labor land), Senator Conroy’s game of dodge-the-question in parliament today would be comedy gold.
Conroy not only fails to answer a single question put forth by Senator Cory Bernardi (good questions, at that, for a guy who wants swearing banned), but he also appears angry at his counterparts for simply not supporting the plan. A ‘how dare you question me’ attitude.
Bernardi requested details from Conroy about how many customers an ISP would need to enlist for a live filtering trial to be credible and whether the results would be independently examined. He also asked whether the Senator had determined what ‘unwanted’ content was, and why the Government is shutting down NetAlert before it had another solution in place (Conroy says it’s a ‘lemon’).
Watch below thanks to Tech Wired Australia:
He’s making you look real good, Mr Rudd. Real good.
18 comments
Spikeles says:
Dec 4, 2008
A friend of mine watched question time the other night. He said it totally destroyed all faith he had in the political process when all it involved was a bunch of “wankers”, “tools” and “12 year olds” screaming at each other and not actually doing anything. He said Conroy was the worst of them all.
And we as tax payers pay them to act this way.
Jarrod says:
Dec 4, 2008
WTF is the point of politicians if they dont actually answer questions in parliament? Some may see this Mandatory Clean Feed plan as even more of a ‘lemon’ then the Net Alert Software.
Mike says:
Dec 4, 2008
Net Alert a lemon? Pffft, I get a sour taste just looking at Conroy.
Sam Clifford says:
Dec 4, 2008
Ministers have been dodging questions in Question Time for years. What we need is another round of estimates hearings so the department can be brought before the Senate to give the answers that Conroy won’t.
Stephen says:
Dec 4, 2008
Lemons have their uses, like fish and chips, and tequila
But yeah, I read somewhere that the cost for each of the Net Alert things downloaded was around $6500. I’m inclined to tell people to buy their own damn filters if they want them
Prukinski says:
Dec 4, 2008
Net Alert: A monumental failure of a policy or proof that the country is just not interested in filtering the internet?
Senator Conroy even goes out of his way to note how well informed the public was about NetAlert and how few people took the opportunity to censor the internet for themselves. How he reaches his conclusion that the policy was a failure rather than it demonstrating a complete lack of interest on behalf of Australian households is beyond me.
Mike says:
Dec 4, 2008
I think it’s about 11K per user Stephen.
websinthe says:
Dec 4, 2008
I’d also heard $11k quoted, though at the same time, I highly doubt that the government has adequetly advertised the plan.
The only way I heard about it was through the media telling the previous government that filtering was a poor response to the threat of child abuse.
Asking parliament to settle down and stop employing political street fighters such as Conroy and Abbot is a waste of time. They are a different breed and were raised that way.
So far the greens are being the best behaved.
Conroy: Shocking News for Australia says:
Dec 4, 2008
[...] the Senator answer a single straight question by the end of the [...]
Icaria says:
Dec 4, 2008
I’m a little surprised by the …surprise expressed in some of the preceding comments.
Have people never watched Question Time before? Some of you seem to be under the mistaken impression that sessions of parliament are somehow productive or useful.
Heath says:
Dec 4, 2008
I dunno Icaria… I’ve seen my fair share of Parliament Question Time, and I’d have to say that that was one of the worst performances on behalf of a senator that I have ever seen. If he made any attempt whatsoever to respond to any one of the questions directed against him, then I can’t remember it. All he did was read notes off his laptop which had very little if anything to do with what was being asked. I know he doesn’t have much to work with in defending such a stupid policy, but that performance was just pathetic.
Sean the Blogonaut says:
Dec 4, 2008
Correct me if I am wrong. But Conroy actually didn’t win his seat did he?
The Rudd Government: One-Term Only? says:
Dec 5, 2008
[...] was not an impressive performance, but to paraphrase Dr Johnson, the remarkable thing is that it happened at [...]
Syd Walker says:
Dec 5, 2008
I couldn’t resist repackaging this story one more time.
See The Rudd Government: One-Term Only?
Live filter pilot will not involve real customers - Somebody Think Of The Children says:
Dec 5, 2008
[...] here I was thinking that the reason Senator Conroy didn’t answer Senator Cory Bernardi’s question about how many customers an ISP would be required to enlist for a trial to be credible was because [...]
Stephen says:
Dec 7, 2008
Actually, I thought there was a really funny incident just after Scott Ludlam asked his questions in the Senate. I kept the stream open for something to listen to and listened as the minister for industry was asked if he thought that expert analysts were talking bull when they said Australian industry was going to continue its decline. Funniest ten minutes of incoherent yammering I have heard in my life
Who Cares It Won’t Work? (They Don’t) says:
Dec 20, 2008
[...] (Conroy, Hamilton et al) reply: “Well at least we’re trying to do something! It may not work perfectly, but at least we’re doing [...]
mr bloody sick ofpoliticians bullshit. says:
Jun 22, 2009
i have watched politician Question time quite a few times and am confused in thinking these idiots are supposed to be running this country.
all ive seen since mr Rudd come into government is both parties winging and bitching about each other.
mr Rudd has donre more for the battelers in his short time in goverment than all the others of the oposition has ever done in the bloody 10 years plus.
how much are these politicians paid an hour?
i think the Australian public should be able to see this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
after all its the bloody taxpayer thats paying their wages!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
im also sick of seeing and hearing “order” “order” “ORDER” “ORDER” THESE GOOSES ARE WASTING TIME, I RECON 3 STRIKES (orders) and ur out for the day with no pay!!!!!
do it again that month and 1 week without pay!!!!
i thought they were supposed to be getting things done and organized for us the people of Australia. not bullshitting and acting like a cage full of friggen monkeys…………….
get ur shit together and friggen start looking after Australia not winging and bitching and friggen wasting money on crap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!…..