The Australian Democrats today expressed their dismay at the Labor government's intention to continue with its Internet censorship plans following the release of a technical feasibility report that has been one year in the making.
"Senator Conroy has, after twelve months, finished a six week trial of something that has been implemented in another country for three years," said Australian Democrats' National Technology Policy Coordinator Geordie Guy.
"It was expected that this report would show the technology to be able to work. However, what we are still waiting for after two years is some sort of sensible explanation from the Senator about why this is a better idea than empowering law enforcement and supporting the choices of individual Australians."
The 97 page report was available for some minutes on the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy's website allowing a handful of users to view it before access to it was crippled by overwhelming load.
"Those who have been able to access the report have been disappointed with page after page of jargon and graphs, the missing context of any assertions is horrifying. There's not even details of how many people participated in the trial, whether they requested to do so or really under what sort of conditions."
Mr Guy continued, "While the trial report has some interesting anecdotes, what the Australian Democrats and all Australians are waiting on is a transparent and effective process to determine what problem the government is actually trying to solve, its extent, and what other options have been investigated and dismissed. Perhaps then we can understand why this expensive and futile trampling of civil rights has been investigated in earnest for so long."
The Australian Democrats remain opposed to the mandatory clean feed as a waste of tax payers money and a violation of their freedom, as well as establishing a bad precedent for Government control of information.
-ENDS-
Media contact: Geordie Guy, National Technology Policy Coordinator
Email: geordie.guy@democrats.org.au
Phone: 0415797142
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