This is probably the most stupid thing that the Rudd Gov has done. To continue in spite of zero support from any agency, it to paint a target on your back.

While not affecting people yet, once it is implemented, and everyone has to pay extra for a broad band at dial up speed, a huge contingent of people are suddenly going to wake up and get p*ssed off.

While usually content for labor to hang themselves up like a piñata, the pleasure of seeing Conroy twist in the wind would be overshadowed by the annoyance of that self righteous pr*ck b*ggering up my access and worse still deciding what is good for me.

Look up TOR it's a prog that a few puter people I know have recommended to bypass the filter.

Bloody sucks and yes useless, as anyone can use these tor thingies and kids can do it better than us. Basically kids need a life away from 24/7 puter games and surfing. That is the solution.

http://www.torproject.org/

It is depressing to see this government, which came to office amid such high expectations, displaying arrogance, mindless ideological obsession and complete disregard for almost every expert in the area of internet filtering.

Aside from the obnoxious implications of "big brother" oversight and curtailment of freedom of access to information, it is expending our money on technology that simply can't work.

The major anti virus companies employ massive number of staff to attempt to monitor and preempt viruses. They are dealing with a comparatively small population of internet objects and still they can't keep up. In respect of monitoring web sites, there a now literally billions of web pages and NO amount of resources could ever monitor these.

They are therefore only able to apply generic filtering techniques that require significant processing power and will drag the Internet down to walking speeds; perhaps they can save money on the national broadband rollout as speed will be so slow that rural Oz might stay with dialup modems!

And as mentioned in the article, the real harm to children is in the potential for inappropriate contact rather than viewing content.

Ignorance and ideology triumphs over good sense yet again.
Rudd's Labour is looking more and more like the Howard government every day.
I'll be happier when we get a secular government again. These people that listen to their "moral leaders" instead of using their brains are getting scary dangerous.
Power corrupts, and censorship *will* be fought with the technology that the censors do not understand. Of course those of us that fight the tyranny will be called criminals (whilst of course, the opposite is true). Yet another prohibition war begins...That's the trouble with war...you only need one side to start the "for God and country..." jingo.
Using kids and pornography as a trojan for censorship is typical war-monging.
I know folks will wonder what all the fuss is about. Please read your history! When governments give succor to anti-freedom advocates it is *always* the thin end of the wedge. Power corrupts.