Internet filter still looms large: Patten

James Riley
Tuesday, 28 September 2010 00:40

IT Policy - Regulation

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has denied the Government plan to introduce internet filtering legislation was a waste of time or money, despite not having the numbers in the Senate to get it passed.

And anti-filter campaigner Fiona Patten of the Australian Sex Party says she is not convinced that the Coalition's pre-election opposition to the filter will remain in place and is concerned the policy is still in play.

Speaking on ABC television's Q&A, Senator Conroy restated government's intention to draft the filter legislation once its review of the RC category of the classification system had been completed next year, believing this could influence the debate.

"For people to say, 'oh well, it definitely won't be passed" (is too early)'¦ the legislation hasn't been drafted and that review hasn't taken place yet," Senator Conroy said.

"So you don't simply - because you get a lot of criticism - say 'oh well, I am going to run away from that policy'," he said.

Ms Patten said despite statements during the campaign from shadow treasurer Joe Hockey and the then-shadow communications spokesman Tony Smith that the Opposition would block a mandatory ISP-level filtering plan, she was concerned that leader Tony Abbott may overturn the policy.

"Certainly Tony Abbott, out at the Rooty Hill (leaders debate) of course, said he would do whatever he could to stop people looking at filth," Ms Patten said.

"(Former Howard Government communications minister Senator Richard) Alston was one who first pushed the notion that we should stop people watching adult material online," she said

"In fact, I think that was one of the reasons he was opposed to broadband, was because he thought it would become 'a sewer for filth,' I think were his words."

Rather than trying to stop people from viewing content through a mandatory filter, Ms Patten argued Government should put its resources into shutting down the sites that produced illegal content like child pornography.

"I would like to see people closed down. I don't think just filtering child pornography is the answer," she said.

"We need to be spending those resources, and probably the resources we are putting into investigating a filter should be put into policing resources."

Opposition innovation spokeswoman Sophie Mirabella said the Coalition did not support the mandatory filtering plan because it did would not solve problems like child pornography or prevent children from inadvertently accessing inappropirate material.

"We will support policies that will work, but this will not work. It will not stop the offensive material," Ms Mirabella said.

Senator Conroy said the internet filter trial had proved that the technology had no impact on the performance of the internet, and that a URL blacklist-based system was "100 per cent accurate, no over blocking, no underblocking."

Key rural independent Rob Oakeshott said personal responsibility was the "big factor" in addressing what content children accessed, but said he looked forward to seeing the legislation if it is brought forward.