The analogy was certainly harsh, but if the other side of this debate is going to get rhetorical mileage out of constant references to child porn, bestiality and rape, I figure we are entitled to some too. You will note that I did not attempt to use it in a way that suggested my opponent was in anyway sympathetic to pedophilic priests. We can only regret that our opponents are not always so careful.

And speaking of opponents, Clive Hamilton has generously let me publish his response to my post in full, on my blog.

Alright then, so we block access to it with a so called ‘filter’. That doesn’t actually stop the websites from existing, or the fact that children are still being abused to create this content. Even dumber is the fact that most of this content isn’t transmitted over what is going to be filtered, beacuse THEY KNOW that it is illegal and it goes over encrypted channels like darknet, file sharing or even e-mail.

The money would be much better spent better funding the Federal Police in investigating and preventing the creation of illegal content such as child pornography.

Just because the filter stops people seeing this content, doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist and children are being abused to create it. Stop the problem at it’s source, not at the end. Prevention is better than cure.

It is a real pity though, that no mainstream media even gives a flying shit about the whole debacle, instead, all I hear is about Madonna’s divorce.

The thing that will cause the most harm to the freedom of the internet will be the inaction of the majority. One of the biggest challenges of this cause is to get the message out to Australia.

I can testify from multiple first hand experience with the OFLC that the censorship regime already in place is whimsical, capricious, and wildly out of touch with the desires of the vast majority of Australian people; and I would submit to Mr. Hamilton and other who are keen to extend this regime to cyberspace that they should first address the failings of the regimes as it stands.

Until the censorship of books, films, magazine, video game, etc, is done in a manner that is consistent, equitable, rational and in keeping with “community standards” it is preposterous to suggest that the Australian government has the wear-with-all to censor the internet in anything other than a capricious manner.