EFF "Censorship - Internet Censorship Legislation - Australia" Archive

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acs_efa_033095_senate.report

report & supporting documents submitted to the Australian Senate Select Committee on Community Standards Relevant to the Supply of Services Utilising Electronic Technologies, opposing the censorship and regulation of bulletin board systems and strongly criticizing the technical igorance of the Computer Bulletin Board Task Force's regulation recommendations. From the Australian Computer Society and Electronic Frontiers Australia.

acs_efa_online_reg_icspg.response

Initial ACS/EFA Joint Task Force response (via email to DCA's comments email address) to the DCS-ICSPG Consultation Paper on the Regulation of On-Line Information Services. Stresses that the DCA's impression of the Internet is fundamentally off-kilter, and that top-down regulation simply will not physically operate in a network of this sort.

au_netcensor_960715.alert

STOP! Campaign to stop Australian Net censorship legilsation. Update: Aus. states' censorship plans put on hold!

au_netcensor_960708.alert

STOP! Campaign to stop Australian Net censorship legislation. Action alert (expires July 12 1996): This Thursday and Friday the State and Federal Attorneys-General will consider the draft NSW censorship legislation as the basis for national legislation. It is urgent that you contact your State and Federal Attorney-General and urge them to listen to the business community and the Internet-using public.

au_netcensor_960609.alert

STOP! Campaign to stop Australian Net censorship legislation. Action alert (expires June 14 1996): Link your web pages to the STOP! Campaign Page, and contact State Attorneys-General, Shadow Attorneys-General and your local Member of Parliament

dca-icspg_online_regulation_070795.paper

Information and Communications Services Policy Group (Department of Communications and the Arts), "CONSULTATION PAPER ON THE REGULATION OF ON-LINE INFORMATION SERVICES", an extension of the Computer Bulletin Board Task Force regulatory recommendations. A deeply flawed recommendation, but at least throws a bone to self-regulation. However, it recommends in detailed legislation that would completely criminalize the transmission of "objectionable" material, which is very widely defined, and includes material that depicts minors in any "offensive" way, regardless of whether the depiction is sexual, material that instructs violence (e.g. self defense techniques), and games that are "unsuitable for a minor to see or play." Even *advertising* but not providing such materials would be a crime under these recommendations. Australians who value their free expression rights, such as they are, should be *very* concerned about this paper.

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STOP! Campaign Web Site

a grassroots campaign to stop government censorship of the Internet in Australia.

Electronic Frontiers Australia

A non-profit public interest organization protecting online privacy and free speech in Australia.

New South Wales state government reveals plan

to crack down on online "offensive material". They are on the heels of similar bills from Western Australian and Victorian legislatures.

Article summarizing what's going on

in the fight against NSW censorship of the Net (as of Dec. 95)

Australian Computer Society