johnboy

This is a good first step and the government should be applauded for not only attempting it but to admitting that it will be a gradual, evolving process. However the sincerity of this is hard to fathom given the current tone of ALP internet policy. Mandatory ISP level filtering? Could anything be more backward? How can we contribute to government policy when certain aspects of the debate may suddenly be declared illegal. In the previous government all serious discussion of drug harm reduction policies was discouraged and any websites doing so were attacked and vilified by members of parliament, even though many of the concepts discussed were policies of other (more enlightened) countries. Under the proposed legislation what would stop a future government from declaring that all such websites are illegal, and removing a dissenting opinion from debate? This may seem like an extreme case but it is the lack of detail currently coming out of the department that does little to reassure us. If this blog, and other efforts, can lead to a real two way conversation then it is worthwhile. I simply hope it is not a token effort to give a fig leaf of "consultation" to an already decided issue.