Hi <Federal Member's name>
I beg to differ.
According to Senator Conroy's press release:
http://www.minister.dbcde.gov.au/media/media_releases/2009/115
"The cyber-safety measures announced today include:
* Introduction of MANDATORY ISP-level filtering of Refused Classification
(RC) -rated content."
and:
"The Government will introduce legislative amendments to the Broadcasting
Services Act to require all ISPs to block RC-rated material hosted on
overseas servers."
and:
"The Government expects to introduce legislation during the Autumn 2010
parliamentary sittings. There will be a twelve months process of
implementation after the passage of the legislation."
How can you say there is none?
Are you telling me that Senator Conroy is lying?
Or maybe he is just pulling an April Fools joke.
If he is then maybe you should ask why he is wasting taxpayer money on the
joke.
Conroy is proposing MANDATORY filtering based on a list that can have
ANYTHING added to it including policital discussions. But you might say that
will never happen. Really? The proposed legislation (that you claim does not
exist) includes websites relating to terrorism correct? Back about 20-30
years ago the ANC (African National Conference) was labelled by the
Australian Government as a "terrorist organisation". So on that basis any
information relating to that group would be banned (just like China, Iran
and North Korea does right now with other material they deem RC). You
realise of course that the ANC was the party that Nelson Mandela belonged to
and fought the oppressive aparthied regiem in South Africa from.
The legislation that your party proposes would block such activists and
discussions, information flow on such activities - because someone decided
that they didn't like what they were saying.
The same blocking of information happened in World War II. The tragedy there
was millions of Jews lost their lives because information about
concentration camps was kept secret - by the western allies. Any wonder
people don't trust their own governments.
Information is power.
Transparent government and to quote Senator Conroy "measures to improve
transparency" - ha what a joke.
You only have to look at the farce that current FOI is.
Governments hate the free flow of information.
It shows up their incompetencies.
Your party's attempt to install a MANDATORY filter of sites that may or may
not be politically sensitive smacks of Totalitarism and Fascism.
Do you or the Labor party stand for Fascism?
Because such MANDATORY filters of information do represent Fascism and
Totalitarianism in their worst form - control of the people by the state. Do
you want to live in China or Iran or North Korea? They do not have freedom
of speech, do not have freedom to choose what they read and do not have
freedom from the state interfering in their lives.
Your party's proposed MANDATORY filter is exactly that - a removal of our
freedom.
Google decided to pull out of China on the basis of China's demands for
internet filtering.
I applaud them for standing up to oppressive governments.
Right now your party's proposed MANDATORY filtering puts you in the same
category - an oppressive government.
And before you talk about all the so called "nasty content" needing to be
filtered - consider this - there is already laws in place to prosecute that.
Filtering can be got around by those determined to do so - but the average
person doesn't have the knowledge or tools to do so. So a MANDATORY filter
only stops the uninformed masses from being informed about other topics
(such as the example of the ANC in the past) that the paranoid controllers
of the RC list decide is "inappropriate" or might harm the party or might
make people wake up to the truth of how they are being manipulated.
So,
There is PROPOSED legislation for MANDATORY filtering by your party. You are
incorrect in your assertion that there is none. Such MANDATORY filtering
represents oppressive government such as found in Fascist states.
I suggest you get informed.
The question ask of you again is do you and/or the Labor party stand for Fascism?
And do you support this proposed oppressive government proposal of MANDATORY filtering of information?
I would like some answers.
Regards,