Media Statement - 19th October 2006
In March, Kim Beazley announced that a Labor Government would require all Internet Service Providers to offer a 'clean feed ' internet service to all households, schools and public libraries that would block access to websites identified as containing child pornography, acts of extreme violence and x-rated material.
In the Senate today, I tabled a petition signed by more than 20,000 Australians endorsing Labor's policy.
This petition was circulated after the Government announced in June that it would offer households PC based filters for installation on home computers.
Labor supports this initiative but the fact is that it does not go far enough.
Two-thirds of households do not have any filtering software installed on their home computers.
Labor believes that the Government should do everything within its power to protect our kids from exposure to damaging internet content
The petition that I tabled today clearly shows that this view is widely shared in the Australian community.
As a result of the existing complaints system, the Internet regulator, the Australian Communications and Media Authority has identified thousands of internet websites containing illegal content such as child pornography that are hosted overseas based websites.
The technology is available that would allow access to these websites to be blocked in every Australian household.
This technology is already in use in countries like Britain, Sweden and Norway.
John Howard and Helen Coonan need to explain to Australian parents why they refuse to require ISPs to block access to these disturbing sites.
Labor is committed to using all tools at its disposal to protect Australian children from exposure to harmful internet content.