Has the Australian Computer Society had a change of mind or is it acting as Senator Conroy's stalking horse now that Internet filtering opposition is growing?

On 18 November 2008 iTnews reported that:

The Australian Computer Society (ACS) has formed a new e-security task force to look into the Federal government's controversial ISP filtering scheme.

The task force, which meets on November 26, will be expected to take 'a leadership role, provide expert technical advice, and review e-security and ISP filtering proposals' with a view to assisting the ACS to develop its own policy positions.

These issues are of critical importance to the safety and security of Australian ICT infrastructure, on-line business models and internet users, according to Kumar Parakala, chairman of ACS.

The task force will be lead by Vijay Varadharajan, Professor and Microsoft chair in innovation in computing at Macquarie University and director of information and networked system security research.

"We are aware of ISP level filtering testing conducted by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), and the recent calls for tenders in the live pilot testing of ISP content filtering. We acknowledge that there have been strong industry views on these proposals ," said Varadharajan.

"At this stage the task force will develop sound technical advice on the feasibility and governance of the various ISP filtering options being investigated."
The ACS was more welcoming of the Federal government's general action 'on e-security issues', particularly with the NBN RFP process coming to a head.

"Online business activities have potential for huge productivity gains for the community and business with the introduction the new National Broadband Network," said Parakala.

"Appropriate e-security frameworks and policies are necessary if we are to fully harness this potential."

One has to ask what and how big is this society, which to date appears to have an ambiguous position on mandatory national ISP-level filtering.

It called on government to resist calls to censor online content in 1997, welcomed Internet content management by federal government in 1999, was very happy about the NSW backdown on planned Internet censorship in 2002, couldn't decide if government or parents should police the Net in 2003, has been in favour of e-security and real time monitoring since 2006 and supported the introduction of government distribution of the free filtering software, Net Nanny, in 2007.

Then in May this year the society came out in favour of Conroy's internet censorship plan:

Australian Computer Society president Kumar Parakala responded to the plan by saying that the ACS welcomes Senator Conroy's targeted plan to create a safer online environment for Australian children.

"I think it is an excellent initiative and as the use of cyber-technology increases among young children, something like this is a necessity," he told ZDNet.com.au.

Parakala said he doesn't expect ISP filtering to create a major overhead on broadband capacity.

Libs create online Rudd memorabilia store

This has to be one of the strangest pieces of political advertising by the Liberal Party of Australia and Brian Loughnane.

Brian has set up a fake online store called The Kevin Rudd memorabilia store complete with goods allegedly for sale.

However you are bound to be disappointed if you are panting after a Fuel Watch, Grocery Watch or Bank Watch timepiece because the only thing this site actually 'sells' is a free newsletter, an e-card marking the first anniversary of the Rudd Government and assorted potshots at the Prime Minister.

Liberal Party staffers did little better when they flooded the news aggregate site Blogotariat with media releases and are not faring all that well when it comes to Twitter.

A search there last Sunday showed 10 pages of tweets discussing Kevin Rudd and only 1 page of tweets discussing Malcolm Turnbull.

No wonder the Libs are still only marking time politically.

Something for Australian supermarket chains to ponder as GM crops spread

Image from The Ecologist online 23 November 2008

The major supermarket chains operating in Australia need to ask themselves if graphs like the one here are likely to translate into consumer resistance to goods containing ingredients such as canola, soy, cotton seed oil, corn, rice etc. and if distinguishing their 'brand' as GM-free would be to their commercial advantage.

Oi, Nathan Rees! Why are we always the poor cousins when it comes to health care?

I'm fed up with that Labor Government mob sitting in Sydney and deciding that the Northern Rivers should pay for past Iemma-Costa mismanagement of the state coffers.
We're told that the North Coast Area Health Service now has to save $20 million over 4 years to help Premier Rees and NSW Health Minister John Della Bosca out of a budgetary black hole.
Jaysus wept!
Our local district hospitals are already attempting to send elderly patients home without appropriate discharge plans, because either staff or beds are not there due to current financial constraints.
In one instance an old man who was supposedly receiving CAPS-funded care in the home, lay on the floor of his house for two days before being found and returned to the hospital where he then died.
And this incident is not an isolated case.
So Mr. Rees - how many more of us are you going to knock off before you are satisfied with your bottom line?

If you too are fed up with regional health services, use this form to send an online letter to the NSW Minister for Health here.

Fair Work Bill 2008: full text of proposed new IR legislation introduced on 25 November

Fair Work Bill 2008 home page including full text of bill and explanatory memoranda here.

FAIR WORK BILL 2008
SECOND READING SPEECH
THE HON JULIA GILLARD MP
MINISTER FOR EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE RELATIONS

I rise today one year on from the election of the Rudd Labor Government to deliver on a promise Labor made to the Australian people. Today we deliver the creation of a new workplace relations system, one that allows Australia to grasp the promise of the future without forgetting the values that made us who and what we are.

Over a century ago at Federation, Australians decided that we would be different to other nations. Democratic, yes. With parliamentary institutions, judicial independence and individual rights similar to those of other great democracies like the United Kingdom and the United States of America, but without their wide social inequalities.

And our Australian version of fairness began with industrial relations:

• with the concept of the living wage, determined first in the Harvester Judgement;
• with the idea that people's democratic rights don't cease when they step onto the factory, shop or office floor;
• with recognition of the need for time for family, relaxation and community; and
• with an end to divisive industrial conflict.

Before the November 2007 election, this set of values - which instill the essence of the Australian genius for fairness and enterprise - was attacked by the values contained in Work Choices.

The philosophy that underpinned Work Choices said, essentially: make your own way in the world; without the comfort of mateship; without the protections afforded by a compassionate society; against odds deliberately stacked against you. No safety net. No rights at work. No cooperation in the workplace to take the nation forward.

More than anything else, the 2007 election was a contest between these two visions of what Australia should be. And in November 2007, the Australian people settled the matter for once and for all. They chose to be true to the Australian ideal of a fair go. Their decision cost a Prime Minister not only his Government but his seat in this House.

They chose to reject Work Choices and all it stood for, and to put in its place the promises Labor made in its policy statement Forward with Fairness. They gave the Rudd Government the strongest possible popular mandate for the introduction of this Bill.

One year on from our election, the Rudd Government now delivers in full on those promises........

[From The Australian online, 25 November 2008.]

Cleaning up the Net: see how easy it is to removal illegal content, Senator Conroy

As late as last Friday the media were still questioning Senator Conroy and the Rudd Government's motives for seeking to impose mandatory censorship on Internet access from Australia and Perth Now was giving a somewhat tongue-in-cheek example of one of the most common forms of the unintended consequences of such censorship.

The Dept. of Broadband, Communication and the Digital Economy informs that the upcoming trial of national ISP-level filtering will have funding for those ISPs participating.
The Minister tells us that the Rudd Government is committed to spending many millions in establishing this national censorship.

It seems that taxpayers will probably pay thrice over - for conducting the live trial, for the Australia-wide implementation of the filtering system and as an additional service charge to cover ongoing costs in every monthly account they receive from their ISP after that.

What Conroy is careful not to point out is that for the cost of an email, the Rudd Government and ACMA can get search engines like Google to remove illegal and/or offensive content, as these snapshots from Chilling Effects clearly demonstrate.

In total literally thousands of take down notices have been received over the years by search engines, web sites and blogs in relation to illegal/inappropriate content, copyright infringement or defamation. I have yet to hear of a serious complaint about pornographic or offensive content not being acted on.

NB: the NSW Parliament is now in possession of its own November 2008 E-brief on Internet filtering which raising many of the concerns expressed elsewhere about the Rudd-Conroy Great Firewall of Australia.

North Coast has multiple wins in the 2008 NSW Tourism Awards

Over 700 guests were wined and dined at the NSW Tourism 2008 gala dinner and awards presentation last week.

The NSW North Coast showed that is was up there with the best the state has to offer.

Gold Award Pet Porpoise Pool - Coffs Harbour
http://www.petporpoisepool.com/

Gold Award Clarence River Tourism - Clarence River and Clarence Coast Visitor Information Centres
http://www.clarencetourism.com/

Silver Award Southern Cross University - School of Tourism and Hospitality Management
www.scu.edu.au/schools/tourism/

Silver Award BIG4 North Star Holiday Resort - Hastings Point
http://www.northstar.com.au/

Bronze Award Lismore Visitor Information Centre
http://www.visitlismore.com.au/