Greens oppose the Government’s internet filter plan.
The Blacktown Greens have announced that they are opposed to the Government’s internet filtering plan after concerns from local youth that the Greens weren’t committed either way.
NSW Greens MLC and lead NSW Senate candidate for the upcoming Federal Election spoke at a recent protest against the plan.
“The internet is an exciting vehicle which enables children to explore the world and accrue knowledge. The best seatbelt a parent can provide for their children’s internet journey is to closely supervise and educate their kids about its risks,”
Ms Rhiannon said.
“The government’s proposal to filter the internet will provide parents with a false sense of security and erode free speech.
“A filter is not the answer for concerned families. It’s been shown to be ineffective and fraught with technical difficulties. And it will do little to prevent the dissemination of child pornography, which is mostly done via file sharing not on websites.
“The best gift we can hand children is the knowledge and power to help manage the way they negotiate the net, now and into the future.
“Australian children don’t want to grow up in a world where their government controls an internet ‘blacklist.’ Handing Big Brother the power to determine what sites we can access is the thin edge of the wedge.
“My federal Greens colleagues will oppose the filter legislation when it comes before Senate,”
Ms Rhiannon said.
Greens Senator and spokesperson for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy Scott Ludlam has also spoken out against the filter and supported the “Great Australian Internet Blackout Against Censorship”
I am proud to be part of this week-long national action – The Great Australian Internet Blackout. The government’s plan will not protect children, will do nothing to crack down on criminal activity online, and sets a dangerous precedent of centralised net censorship. Communications Minister Stephen Conroy should start paying attention to the almost universal condemnation of this scheme and pursue alternatives rather than pushing ahead with the mandatory filter
