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…
