Australian Censorship Scheme Gets Blocked By Opposition Leaders

Thankfully many of the people down under have their heads the right way around – Australia’s proposed censorship regime has been toppled by mass political opposition, which blocked any legislation required to start the scheme.

AU: Um, this article isn’t actually correct. Although Senator Xenophon has announced he will be voting against the filter, and Labor really needs his vote to push it through, that doesn’t mean it’s dead. There are still plenty of ways that the Government could push this through, so put that champagne away and keep fighting for your online freedoms.

If you want more details on why this isn’t over yet, hit the EFA website.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority’s blacklist already contains 1370 sites, only 674 of which actually relate to child porn. The others are legal to view for those 18-and-over, but would have been blocked under the censorship proposal – such as an anti-abortion website that showed photographs of allegedly aborted fetuses (Sure, it’s gross and unnecessary-but pro-lifers have the right to use those disgusting, low-blow tactics if they want).

Plus, there was no evidence that internet-filtering would have been effective in the first place. Though Communications Minister Stephen Conroy had started trials with six ISPs, the three largest internet providers were not involved, rendering any results from the trials more or less useless.

So, in the end, a combined opposition of the Australian Liberal Party, Greens and two Independent senators laid the smack-down on the “unworkable censorship measures,” and now it’s not going through. Hurrah! [Sydney Morning Herald via Boing Boing]