Rudd's internet fantasy shifts focus from oppressive censorship plan
The Federal Government’s dream of a new high-speed broadband network to
connect almost every home in Australia has shifted attention from its
contentious plan to censor the Internet, Federal Member for Tangney
Dennis Jensen warned Friday.
“The broadband scheme sounds wonderful, but like most pipe-dreams, it is short on detail and we really have no indication yet of how – or if – it will ever come together,” he said.
“What we do know is that the prime minister’s announcement this week came as his government’s planned Internet filtering program was being laid bare for what it really is – a hopelessly flawed censorship regime.
“Perhaps that is the real reason for the rushed broadband network announcement, which is so lacking in specifics that at this stage it constitutes little more than a pleasant fantasy.”
Dr Jensen suggested the government may take advantage of the debate on the broadband scheme to put the filtering issue to bed.
“They may be hoping they can slide the scheme into place without drawing too much attention, or perhaps they will take the opportunity to drop what has become a matter of increasing embarrassment to the government,” he said.
“I certainly hope it is the latter.
“But I am also concerned that under the broadband network plan announced by Kevin Rudd, the government may have the means to impose direct control over content. This is a very disturbing issue.”
The Internet filtering plan, on which Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy Stephen Conroy has staked his political future, has been widely condemned for being both ineffective and an assault on civil liberties.
The press freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders last month placed Australia on a watch-list in its Enemies of the Internet report.
This put Australia in the same category as Bahrain, Belarus, Eritrea, Malaysia, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, and Zimbabwe as countries where Internet freedom was threatened.
“It is an absolutely disgraceful situation that a country as affluent and progressive as ours is heading down such an authoritarian path,” Dr Jensen said.
“Don’t be fooled by the prime minister’s hype this week. The value of a high-speed network across the country will be severely diminished if the free-flow of information is curtailed by the state.”
“The broadband scheme sounds wonderful, but like most pipe-dreams, it is short on detail and we really have no indication yet of how – or if – it will ever come together,” he said.
“What we do know is that the prime minister’s announcement this week came as his government’s planned Internet filtering program was being laid bare for what it really is – a hopelessly flawed censorship regime.
“Perhaps that is the real reason for the rushed broadband network announcement, which is so lacking in specifics that at this stage it constitutes little more than a pleasant fantasy.”
Dr Jensen suggested the government may take advantage of the debate on the broadband scheme to put the filtering issue to bed.
“They may be hoping they can slide the scheme into place without drawing too much attention, or perhaps they will take the opportunity to drop what has become a matter of increasing embarrassment to the government,” he said.
“I certainly hope it is the latter.
“But I am also concerned that under the broadband network plan announced by Kevin Rudd, the government may have the means to impose direct control over content. This is a very disturbing issue.”
The Internet filtering plan, on which Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy Stephen Conroy has staked his political future, has been widely condemned for being both ineffective and an assault on civil liberties.
The press freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders last month placed Australia on a watch-list in its Enemies of the Internet report.
This put Australia in the same category as Bahrain, Belarus, Eritrea, Malaysia, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, and Zimbabwe as countries where Internet freedom was threatened.
“It is an absolutely disgraceful situation that a country as affluent and progressive as ours is heading down such an authoritarian path,” Dr Jensen said.
“Don’t be fooled by the prime minister’s hype this week. The value of a high-speed network across the country will be severely diminished if the free-flow of information is curtailed by the state.”
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