This time, here is a politician's view on it, in the form of a letter response to one of the hysterical "waa, waa, waa" crowd populating the whirlpool forums on this subject.
Dear ["not thinking of the children" (name substituted to protect the guilty)]
Thank you for contacting me with your concerns regarding the Government’s clean feed internet filtering system. I am aware that the proposal for ISP filtering has attracted some criticism from those, like yourself, who are concerned that it will lead to censorship of the internet and to a slowing of internet speed. However, the Australian Government has no plans to stop adults from viewing material that is currently legal, if they wish to view such material.
I believe that freedom of speech is very important and the Government’s cyber-safety policy is in no way designed to curtail this. The Government wants to ensure that Australian parents can access a ‘clean feed’ internet service. This will be informed by the technology adopted in countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Canada where ISP filtering, predominantly of child pornography, has been successfully introduced without affecting internet performance to a noticeable level.
The proposed ISP filtering policy is being developed through an informed and considered approach, including through industry consultation and close examination of overseas models to assess their suitability for Australia. We are committed to working closely with internet industries to address any concerns, including costs and internet speeds. These concerns will be carefully considered during the pilot and will further inform the Government’s cyber‑safety policy.
The internet is an essential tool for all Australian children through which they can exchange information, be entertained, socialise and do school work and research. The ability to use online tools effectively provides both a skill for life and the means to acquire new skills. However, while the internet has created substantial benefits for children it has also exposed them to a number of dangers, including exposure to offensive content. As such, parents rightly expect the Government to play its part in the protection of children online.
The Government has committed $125.8 million over the next four years to a comprehensive range of cyber-safety measures, including education, law enforcement and filtering. These measures include:· Education activities – funding to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to implement a comprehensive range of education activities;· Australian Federal Police (AFP) Child Protection Operations Team – funding to detect and investigate online child sex exploitation;· ISP level filtering – funding to develop and implement ISP filtering, including undertaking a real world ‘live’ pilot;· Websites / Online helpline – funding to ACMA to improve current Government cyber-safety website resources and to make them easier for parents to use, and to provide up‑to‑date information.
ACMA will also develop a children’s cyber-safety website to provide information specifically for children, and improve the online helpline to provide a quick and easy way for children to report online incidents that cause them concern;· Research – funding for ongoing research into the changing digital environment to identify issues and target future policy and funding.These initiatives will tackle the issue of cyber-safety from a number of directions to help clean up the online environment and to protect Australian children from the dangers of the internet now and into the future.
This approach acknowledges the key role parents have in the online safety of children, and provides them with the necessary information to assist with this task. This initiative also recognises that there is no single solution to ensure children can access the internet safely.Thank you for bringing your concerns to my attention. I hope this information is of assistance, and please don’t hesitate me with any further concerns.
Kind regards,
Melissa Parke MP
Federal Member for Fremantle
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