Senator the Hon Stephen Conroy

Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy

DEPUTY LEADER OF THE GOVERNMENT IN THE SENATE

Government welcomes ACMA report on internet filtering

Senator the Hon Stephen Conroy, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, today welcomed the Australian Communications and Media Authority's (ACMA) report on international developments in internet filtering technologies and other safety initiatives.

The report, Developments in internet filtering technologies and other measures for promoting online safety, draws together current key trends and makes observations about content, communication and e-security risks online.

“The Government's cyber-safety plan presents a comprehensive range of measures that involves education, international co-operation, research, law enforcement and internet service provider (ISP) filtering,” Senator Conroy said.

“ACMA's report also identifies that there is no silver bullet solution to the problem of online risks, especially as there is a shift from webpages to interactive internet technologies, such as chat rooms.

“The Government and the ACMA report also agree on the importance of education, and information and empowering people to manage online risks. A large component of the Government's cyber-safety plan is raising awareness of online safety issues and providing information on the strategies that can be undertaken to mitigate against these risks,” Senator Conroy said.

“However, there are ever-evolving risks that arise when online. The Government has committed to ongoing research and industry consultation through a new consultative working group and youth advisory group.”

“This will ensure we are able to provide relevant policy responses to new technological developments as they arise.”

The ACMA report notes that a number of overseas countries currently filter their content. ISPs in a number of countries, such as the United Kingdom, Sweden, Norway and Finland, have successfully introduced ISP level filtering.

“The Government is undertaking a number of activities to inform the development of an implementation framework for ISP filtering, including extensive consultation with industry and examining overseas models,” Senator Conroy said.

“These filtered services will provide protection for children from internet websites containing harmful content.”

For a copy of the ACMA report, visit www.acma.gov.au

ends

Date: 21 February 2008

Contact: Tim Marshall 0408 258 457