The NSW Government has missed an opportunity to protect children from the harms of online pornography by rejecting the recommendation of a cross-party inquiry to push for internet filtering.

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Momentum is gathering for available technology to be used to protect children from porn after a New South Wales parliamentary inquiry this week recommended the introduction of internet filtering. 

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Dr Clive Hamilton is a Professor of Public Ethics at Charles Sturt University who supports internet filtering. In this interview with the ACL's Katherine Spackman he talks about what's happening in the UK with internet filtering. ISPs over the coming months will be asking families if they want an internet filter turned off or on and new customers will be automatically have an internet filter unless they decide to disable it.

In the last week, the ACL has been quoted in the media on issues such as the defeat of the NSW same-sex marriage bill, Federal Government moves on asylum seekers, and internet filters in the UK. See below for links to mentions in the media.



The ACL’s Managinf Director Lyle Shelton discussed Federal Government moves on asylum seekers and basic freedoms in this week’s Politics InFocus:







Politics InFocus - 15.11.13 from InFocus on Vimeo.



On the defeat of the NSW same-sex marriage bill:

• The Australian - NSW same-sex bill defeated, tears in parly



• Christian Today Australia - ACL welcomes defeat of NSW same-sex marriage bill

On UK internet filters:

• Christian Today Australia - UK's action to filter pornography applauded

MEDIA RELEASE



18th November 2013



The Australian Christian Lobby has applauded British Internet Service Providers' action on filtering pornography – with 20 million families having to make a decision by the end of 2014 whether they will have a filter or not.



ACL managing director Lyle Shelton said The Daily Mail is reporting TalkTalk and Sky are now telling all customers they have an unavoidable choice on whether they want access to online pornography.



It’s understood ISPs BT and Virgin are set to introduce a similar family-friendly filter within the next two months.



“It’s heartening to see such positive action to protect children from harmful images on the internet so soon after British Prime Minister David Cameron rightly elevated the issue in July,” he said.



“ACL urges the Abbott Government to take a closer look at the initiative in the UK to safeguard children from inappropriate material on the internet,” he said.



Mr Shelton urged the Coalition to re-evaluate its position against internet filtering.



“In the Coalition’s response to ACL’s election questionnaire it said it would focus on supporting teachers and parents in their work to protect children online. While this is welcome, unfortunately the issue is too big a problem for just parents and teachers to deal with and requires government intervention,” he said.



Mr Shelton also welcomed news that google, bing and yahoo have agreed to introduce changes to prevent depraved images and videos from appearing in search results.



ENDS

MEDIA RELEASE



For release: Friday 6th September 2013



The Australian Christian Lobby is urging the Coalition to rethink its opposition to internet filtering, Managing Director Lyle Shelton said.



“Initially we were heartened to hear that the Coalition had come to the position that only two months ago that British Prime Minister David Cameron had come to - that internet filtering was a necessary government intervention to protect children from exposure to pornography,” he said.



“For a fleeting moment last night it looked like the Coalition was in agreement with its colleagues in the UK.”



Mr Shelton said it ISP filtering is far too important an initiative to be turned into a political football.



“In criticising the Coalition’s back flip on ISP filtering, Labor has ignored its own culpability on the issue – only last year did the Labor government renege on its 2007 and 2010 election commitment to introduce mandatory filtering of illegal content such as rape porn and bestiality porn from overseas,” he said.



In July, the ACL welcomed news that British Prime Minister David Cameron would introduce mandatory internet filtering if ISP’s did not act to protect children.



“Extreme libertarian views within politics leave children exposed to harmful content. Filtering technology has been proven not to slow the internet and effective at providing better protection. A civil society should deploy it,” he said.

Tuesday 23rd July 2013



Media Release



The Australian Christian Lobby has welcomed moves by British Prime Minister David Cameron to crack down on the proliferation of child abuse images and pornography on the internet.



ACL’s Managing Director Lyle Shelton said Mr Cameron’s speech yesterday acknowledge that parents feel powerless when it comes to preventing their children from seeing porn and that government intervention is needed.







“Mr Cameron spoke of how government has ‘neglected our responsibility to children’ and called for internet service providers in Britain to automatically block access to pornography sites unless customers opt in,” he said.



Mr Shelton said the ACL will be asking political parties how they intend to deal with the proliferation of pornography on the internet as part of an election questionnaire.



“ACL will be asking this question along with many other topics including asylum seekers, gambling, poverty and family in the questionnaire which will be available in coming weeks on australiavotes.org.au,” he said.



“Last year ACL was disappointed to see then Communications Minister Senator Stephen Conroy renege on the government’s election promise of a mandatory ISP clean feed to block illegal material, despite Government trials showing it worked without slowing the internet



“Parents are looking for clear and trustworthy commitments from the government and genuine action to protect children on-line,” he said.



ENDS

 



Lyle Shelton is the Chief of Staff of the Australian Christian Lobby. He spoke to Daniel Simon about the Federal Government's announcement that it would not go ahead with its plans to introduce mandatory internet filtering of Refused Classification content at the internet service provider level.

MEDIA RELEASE



For release: Friday, November 9, 2012



The Australian Christian Lobby has said that the federal government’s announcement that it will require internet service providers (ISPs) to block a list of child abuse websites is welcome but falls well short of the internet safety commitment it gave prior to the last election.



In answer to ACL’s 2010 federal election questionnaire, the ALP committed to “introduce mandatory ISP level filtering of content that is rated Refused Classification”.



ACL Managing Director Jim Wallace said that while it was positive the government was enforcing the obligation of ISPs under the Telecommunications Act 1997 to block illegal child abuse websites on the INTERPOL list, this did not obviate the need for more widespread filtering of other harmful online content.



“Although child abuse material is the most heinous element of the Refused Classification category, it is just a part of the prohibited online content the government committed to blocking at the ISP level prior to the last election,” Mr Wallace said.



“Having ISPs block only illegal child abuse material does not meet the government’s cyber safety election commitment to mandatory ISP filtering of Refused Classification material.



“The government’s decision not to legislate to the full extent of its commitment is a great disappointment.”



Mr Wallace also said the fact that there are no reports of adverse impacts on internet speeds and congestion by the several Australian ISPs already blocking sites on the Interpol list for over a year made a nonsense of the scare campaign perpetuated by civil libertarians against ISP filtering.



It also proved that it was technically possible to block further harmful content where there was political will to do so.

On 27 August 2012, Victorian Director Dan Flynn presented the submission of the Australian Christian Lobby to the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into sexting. Click here to read the submission.



Sexting refers to the increasing practice among young people of taking indecent pictures of themselves and transmitting them to another on smartphones and computers. Significant harm may follow,including harrassment and bullying-particularly when images are forwarded to others.



ACL pointed out that once the image is taken and forwarded the creator has no control over the use that the image will be put to. The dangers of sexting include permanent damage to the subject's digital footprint. Incidents of harassment related suicides resulting from sexting were referred to and recommended that priority should be given to education programs in schools that alert students to the harmful effects.



ACL supports legislative amendment that would currently see young people naively sexting facing charges of creating child pornograhy with potential terms of imprisonment and registration on the Sex Offenders Register for 8+ years, charged with a more suitable offence, in appropriate cases.



However ACL does not support the decriminalising of sexting. Mr Flynn said that decriminalisation would send a message that it is now "ok " to sext and would result in an increase in this dangerous practice.



ACL also submitted that any new legislation must ensure that genuinely predatory adults are placed on a Sex Offender Register when guilty of producing or transmitting child pornography.



The submission called on the Victorian Government to request the Federal Government to implement its promised mandatory Internet filter of "Refused Classification" material-a practical measure to reduce the "sexualisation of culture" and protect children.



The Victorian Law Reform Committee will report to the Parliament later this year.



Click here to read the transcript.