This is a Really Big Thing here at the moment. We have an election due to be called, thus anything and everything that might garner the popular vote is grist to the political mill. To put it into perspective, this isn't the worst thing that's happened. That would (arguably) be the taking back of Aboriginal lands and the invasion of Aboriginal communities by the federal government in order to stamp out child abuse. There has also been sudden federal funding of a hospital in a marginal electorate that was due to close (states fund hospitals in Australia), a promise to overrule a state government's rationalisation of local body boundaries and the internment and deportation of a doctor from India whose cousin was one of the men who rammed the burning vehicle into Glasgow airport. This man has made a career of appealing to the scared and ignorant and using wedge politics. He is getting desperate. The chances are currently quite good that he won't be in a position to carry any of this out in a few months, but you can't take anything for granted. M-H On 10/8/07 12:35 PM, "Tuszynski, Stephanie" <stuszyn@UTNet.UToledo.Edu> wrote:

Australia's PM rolls out a new plan, vows "to clean up the internet"

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22218929-421,00.html

The scariest bit, to my mind:

"As well as practical tools to help families put internet pornography beyond the reach of children, the Government will form partnerships with major computer providers in upgraded steps to block porn sites and detect predators using popular websites such as MySpace and Facebook to contact children.

Of the $189 million, $43 million will be provided immediately to double the size of the online child sex exploitation branch of the AFP and establish a working group to find ways of getting around privacy laws that protect sexual predators.

A "black list" of the Australian Communications and Media Authority, which covers Australian-based pornographic and terror sites, will be expanded internationally after consultation with the Attorney-General. "

Stephanie Tuszynski Visiting Assistant Professor Department of Theatre and Film University of Toledo _______________________________________________ The Air-L@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org

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