[Oz-ISP] Action over the Bill (fwd)

[Garret Krampe <krampeg@ozemail.com.au>]

This is worth reading - it DOES have ramifications for us!

This is a prime example of the sort of pathetic histeria that
governments
are capable of ..

.SEX will stop all this crap happening to the overseas markets also.

Get with the program and give me .SEX TLD before the industry dies !

I have forwarded here a recent interpretation of what is happening in
Australia.

The Government here is somewhat extemely SAD in it attitude to
bussinesses in general.

Take the ACA for example ... they Auction off electro-magetic spectrum !
The prices are aimed only at those from overseas companies and all of
our money
here goes overseas ! They are completely BRAIN DEAD !

Not many Australian companies (if any) in the communications game, have
80-90 Million dollars
to spend on just a License !

This move will put all ISP's under Government control and of course they
will then introduce 
Licenses to opperate an ISP. This is aimed at giving Telstra (Our ex-
government ISP) total control.

The SADEST thing is they have sold off Telstra to overseas companies
anyway ......



---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 22 Apr 1999 00:13:35 +0800 (WST)
From: Kimberley Heitman <kheitman@it.net.au>
Reply-To: aussie-isp@aussie.net
To: aussie-isp@aussie.net
Cc: board@efa.org.au, link@www.anu.edu.au
Subject: [Oz-ISP] Action over the Bill

Having examined the draft bill, kindly placed online in html by Heath
Gibson at
http://www2.hunterlink.net.au/~ddhrg/censorship_legislation.html 
I have to say that it's far worse than the original press release would
have suggested.

As foreshadowed, it censors the Internet as if it were cable-TV and
gives
the ABA power to issue takedown orders. However, Alston has gone much
further in the detail, to the extent that the hysterical rhetoric from
his
office to date now appears to have been an attempt at sugar-coating.

The EFA Board is yet to examine the Bill in detail, but on my reading of
the way the prohibitions will be administered by the ABA and the tamed
industry association there's several issues that Alston has not been
frank
about to date. EFA will be releasing a considered reponse to the Bill
when
sending its submission to the Senate IT committee by the end of next
week,
but for the time being some points have to be made.

First new feature is the licencing of ISPs, and compulsory trade
unionism
under the IIA. Daily penalties of $27,500 should be enough to bring
small
ISPs into line, if the threat of being shut down by the Federal Court
doesn't.

Second, the ABA will write the IIA Code, and tell ISPs what hardware and
software to use. Oh, and from now on ISPs work weekends as takedown
orders
issued by email or fax will have to be complied-with within 24 hours.
Same
penalties natch - $27,500 daily for merely allowing "adult themes"
material.  

Third, people can complain about ISPs as well as sites, for permitting
access to "adult themes" material anywhere in the world. The ABA has
power
to investigate any ISP, any time, under s.25(1)(a) if the ISP allows end
users to access material prohibited in Australia from anywhere else in
the
world. Is there any doubt that proxy filters are to be compulsory?

Fourth, less censorious State and Territory laws are over-ridden, and
no-one under 18 is allowed to own an account. Free speech is dead coast
to
coast, and the ABA has the power to outlaw dual membership of WAIA and
SAIA through its control over the IIA Code.

And finally, everything archivable is covered, not just web sites. As
technology improves, the industry and the public will pay for smaller
and
smaller sieves down to the RAM caches, IRC and newsgroups.

With the depth of bastardry in the detail, it's fairly plain that the
Minister hates the Internet and all who sail in her. All live email
addresses on Alston's recent spam should understand that they're on the
enemies list.

Obviously the Government considers that a future where Australians use
Big Pond to go to slow overseas sites is the only plausible scenario in
which they get a good price for Telstra ;-)

EFA has copped some flak for being critical of Alston's plans, and it's
disappointing that other industry groups have been quiet. Whatever
argument may have been made for preserving special or cordial
relationships with the Government has now evaporated. ISPs will still
have to exercise editorial judgements over content, and there's no
pretence in this Bill that self-regulation means anything other than
outsourcing censorship.

We've nominated Friday May 28 as a day for action by individuals and
groups around Australia, though appropriate events or publicity better
suited to the weekend following will be similarly promoted. Those who
feel
that the day should be observed with mild annoyance are at liberty to do
so - however as Alston claims there hasn't been significent adverse
public
comment to date, it may be better to speak more loudly.

By all means submit to the Senate IT Committee - submissions close April
30 - see http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/committee/ADVERT/online.htm

Otherwise, join the campaign. Details and links are at
http://www.efa.org.au/Campaigns/alert99.html and
http://www.efa.org.au/Campaigns/may28/index.html , or contact Darce
Cassidy (EFA Executive Director) or myself. The campaign mailing list is
available to coordinate regional protests, and to agree wording of form
letters and means of making these available to the public. Act locally
and
think globally - while you can!

Kimberley Heitman,
Chair, EFA


  
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                        Kimberley James Heitman
                  http://www.multiline.com.au/~kheit/
Internet   kheitman@it.net.au                Telephone  +618 9458 2790
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Garret Krampe
ADC
www.ozemail.com.au/~krampeg/