The Labor Party is pushing ahead with one of the largest attacks on freedom of speech in Australia’s history.
It intends to censor the internet for all Australians.
Websites can be censored by a single bureaucrat with no oversight and no appeal: the public is not even allowed to know what has been censored.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority has a blacklist that the Labor Party wants to make mandatory for all ISPs to block.
In Senate Estimates, the Australian Communications and Media Authority admitted that the majority of websites on this blacklist are perfectly legal.
ACMA has put political material on this blacklist.
It recently added an anti-abortion website and pages of Wikileaks, a whistleblower website, to its blacklist.
ACMA has also threatened service providers for their customers simply linking to blacklisted websites.
While the ACMA blacklist is non-compulsory these pages are still accessible within Australia, but if the Labor Party has its way they no longer will be.
This attack on freedom of speech in Australia must be crushed.
What is the point of discussing maternity leave, emissions trading or animal culls if the Government will soon have the power to censor any dissenting views?
I am particularly disappointed in Senator Kate Lundy, who spoke passionately about freedom of speech on many occasions while in opposition.
She is now actively helping to destroy freedom of speech in Australia.
Bob McMullan is also toeing the party line on this issue.
Arved von Brasch, Aranda CanberraTimes 20 Mar 09