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National Censorship Plan Offensive, Says Aussie Shadow Minister

Posted by timothy on from the shadow-minister-is-such-a-cool-title dept.

downundarob writes "Senator Nick Minchin, the Australian Shadow Minister for broadband, communications and the digital economy, has written (or more likely a staffer has written) this interesting article on the Australian Federal Government's continued zeal to enforce ISP-level filtering in Australia. In the article he posits that 'Underlying the Rudd Government's plan to screen the internet is an offensive message: that parents cannot be trusted to mind their children online.' Meanwhile, we wait for filtering trials to start, trials that have been delayed and which have next-to-no support among the industry. Telstra BigPond — Australia's largest ISP — has refused to take part, comparing internet filtering to 'like trying to boil the ocean.' The third largest, iiNet, is prepared to participate to highlight flaws."

10 of 116 comments (clear)

  1. So... by techno-vampire · · Score: 4, Funny

    So what he's saying is, this plan to censor the Internet is so offensive that it should be censored, right?

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    1. Re:So... by jasontheking · · Score: 5, Funny

      they sell frozen peas

    2. Re:So... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      they sell frozen toasters?

  2. Shadow Minister by Nyeerrmm · · Score: 4, Funny

    As an American, I must say, we need to take a look at this nomenclature: Shadow Minister sounds so much cooler than Senate Minority Leader or the like.

    It helps when the guy has an ounce of sense too...

    1. Re:Shadow Minister by martin-boundary · · Score: 5, Funny

      No, logically, the prime minister has to be a Vorlon.

    2. Re:Shadow Minister by Mathinker · · Score: 3, Funny

      Simple, it's like in Linux, the Shadow Minister is the secret minister with the real power behind the publicly-readable Prime Minister.

  3. He's right! by Veggiesama · · Score: 4, Funny

    This national censorship plan is so offensive that no one should ever hear about it again!

    I propose that we censor it! Think of the children!

  4. Shadow Government by xrayspx · · Score: 3, Funny

    When your own Shadow Government thinks you've gone Too Far, perhaps you've fucking gone too far.

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    1. Re:Shadow Government by xrayspx · · Score: 4, Funny

      I'm sorry to do it, but, yeah, *whoosh*.

      I get that this guy isn't really a secret operative in some alien-human hybrid black-oil conspiracy. But the title of "Shadow Minister" does still imply such to those of us who watched a certain popular TV (TeleVision) show known as the X-Files in the 1990's.

      It's OK though, because as we all know, jokes have been scientifically proven to be much funnier when they're fully explained, so for that I thank you :-)

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  5. Boil the ocean? by Yvan256 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Telstra BigPond - Australia's largest ISP - has refused to take part, comparing internet filtering to 'like trying to boil the ocean.'

    So? Seems pretty obvious to me. Just ask Sun to build the internet filters.