Does Conroy's inclusion of Webshield in the Internet filtering trial give a hint of things to come?

The Federal Labor Minister for Censorship Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Stephen Conroy has said that Webshield Internet Services (Webshield Internet Shield, Wigzell & Wigzell) will be part of the internet filtering trial.

Strange choice, but perhaps the senator thinks this relatively small South Australian ISP reflects his own narrow world view.

Webshield obviously finds favour with at least one Christian website which advertises and links to this internet provider.

It already has a niche in the voluntary content-filtering market, although an editorial by one of its principals does almost recognise the socio-political reality of the censorship 'climate' even if he comes to a self-interested conclusion.

The fact is the world is not ready for content filtering. We are still in the middle of an information revolution; the prevailing sentiment driven by the media, advertising and industry is one of euphoria and excitement not protection and caution. This principle applies to all new technologies, namely, that protection lags behind progress. It was true of the car where laws for seatbelts took over 50 years, and it's true of the Internet today where use of filtering is seen as a sign of weakness. Until the anything, anywhere, anytime gospel of technology can be moderated by a culture of caution, the ideological bias of society will be opposed to content filtering regardless of how effective it happens to be. It falls to the Government to provide the balance and it is heading in the right direction. History warns that attitudes are more effectively changed through disasters than education. As we stride boldly into this brave new world of technological progress, we need to heed H. G Wells "we are in a race between education and disaster".

Webshield long list of blocking categories:

Alcohol
Sites promoting the use of alcohol, drink recipes, bartender guides, home brewing methodology, drinking games, advertisements and use of alcohol for consumption purposes including pubs, bars, breweries and alcohol manufacturers.

Art
Non-commercial web sites that promote, exhibit, and/or display works of art, artists, art galleries, museums, art instruction, graphics tutorials, and art schools.

Banner
Ads Banner ads served from third party servers.

Books & Lit / Writings
Sites that discuss and promote books, literature, authors' sites, publishers' promotional sites, online books, books on tape, literary reviews, fan-fiction or other short fiction works, written screenplays/scripts (movies, TV, or drama).

Chat
Sites offering chatrooms and chat services as well as chat sites accessed via a web browser, chat logs, IRC client downloads, IRC channel listings or channel information.

Child Pornography
Sites that promote, discuss and portray children in sexual acts and activity.

Comics
Sites that distribute, display, discuss and promote comics, web comics, comic books, cartoons, flash/online animations and comic publishers. These include on-line cartoons and official web sites of comic strips.

Community Organizations
Sites of non-profit, charity, and community involvement organizations such as the YMCA, March of Dimes, Big Brothers/Sisters, Boy/Girl Scouts, etc.

Criminal Skills
Sites that promote crime or illegal activity such as credit card number generation, illegal surveillance and murder.

Cults
Sites promoting cult subject matter, use of mind control, paranoia, fear, and any other type of psychological control or manipulation.

Drugs
Sites that promote the sale/use of illegal drugs and narcotics, paraphernalia for express use with illegal narcotics, questionably legal "supplements" with a narcotic effect or sites that glorify the effect of illegal narcotics. Sites that offer techniques and products for testing clean for drugs as well as information on other forms of narcotics.

Education
Web sites of schools, learning centers, universities, teaching institutions, workshops, technical institutes and trade schools. Sites that contain information on teaching aids such as lesson planning guides, teacher supplies, career development education and .edu sites.

Educational Games
Sites that offer games related to education such as reading, spelling, math, developmental games and games with educational value.

Employment
Sites geared toward job seekers, such as online job bulletin boards, classified ad sites, resume-listing services, head hunting firms, resume building, cover-letter writing, etc.

Entertainment
All general entertainment sites not already classified in a specific category such as restaurants/clubs, clipart and animated .gifs, amusement parks, cell-phone ringtones, etc.

Explicit Art
Art web sites that display art works containing graphic nudity, nude photography, sex acts and/or disturbing images.

Fashion
Sites promoting and discussion of models, modeling, modeling portfolios, modeling agencies, modeling contests, fashion and apparel in a non-commercial manner. May contain some R-rated material, or bikini pictures.

Financial
Sites related to the financial trade, such as stock trading, financial news, online banking services, and trading exchanges.

Fitness
Sites promoting and discussing exercise, yoga, gyms, health clubs, nutrition, nutrition supplements, fitness equipment, diet information and weight loss.

Free Hosts
Sites hosted by consumer oriented free hosts or ISPs, including members.aol.com and Geocities.

Gambling
Sites which encourage gambling such as betting sites, bookmaker odds, lottery, bingo, horse/dog track, online sport betting, online casinos, etc.

Games
Sites related to computer or other games, such as game download sites, online games, video, board games and electronic games. Sites that advertise and host online games as well as sweepstakes & giveaways. Sites that offer cheat codes.

General Business
Web sites for businesses and commercial organizations where business is defined as an organization that provides goods and/or services for profit.

Government
Sites of governmental agencies at the national, state, local or international level. All .gov sites.

Hacking
Sites discussing and/or promoting unlawful or questionable tools or information revealing the ability to gain access to software or hardware/communications equipment and/or passwords. Sites that discuss password generation, compiled binaries, hacking tools, software piracy (game cracking).

Hate & Discrimination
Sites that contain material related to the discrimination of any group of people based on race, religion, gender, nationality, etc. Sites which concentrate on violence or the destruction of human life, including a single person or an entire race/religion/gender/etc. Sites focused on the superiority of one race/religion/gender/etc., while degrading others with use of propaganda or violent action.

Health/Medical
Sites of medical practices, hospitals, health insurance providers, nursing homes, and care centers. Sites that promote and provide information on prescription medicines and over the counter treatments. Sites offering information and references on health, medicine, preventative health care and other health-related topics.

Holistic
Sites offering information on alternative medicines and natural healing, homeopathic medicine, acupuncture and acupressure, chakra alignment, Feng Shui.

Humor
Sites whose primary purpose is for comedy, jokes, sound files, or other material intended to be funny.

Information Technology
Sites containing reviews, discussions, distribution, and promotion of computer programs, software, systems and hardware. Sites that contain discussion, reviews, news, and advocacy on computers, technological devices, and general technology. Sites that offer information, resources, hosting and guides for creating computer software and web sites.

Instant Messaging
Sites that offer and enable Instant Messaging, central servers for IM applications, Client-based applications for IM (prevents the use of IM clients).

Internet Radio
Sites that offer streaming radio internet programming (does not include downloadable music).

Internet Service Providers
Sites and guides to services that offer access to the Internet.

Legal
Sites pertaining to legal services, personal legal reference, on-line legal aid, law firms, legal reference, law libraries, legal services (notaries, etc.)

Lifestyle
Sites that contain material relative to an individual's personal life choices. This includes sexual preference, cultural identity, or organization/club affiliations.

Local Community
Sites of community governmental agencies and sites that promote and announce community events and community involvement such as City web sites and Chamber of Commerce.

Malicious Code/Spyware/Viruses
Sites that promote, demonstrate and/or use or offer code that intentionally cause harm by modifying or destroying computer systems. Sites that offer software to monitor user behavior without users knowledge and consent.

Message Boards
Sites that offer message boards, bulletin boards, and forums. Sites which offer visitors the ability to discuss topics with one another via Internet message board software. Sites that provide downloads and customization of web message board software.

Militant/Extremist/Terrorist
Sites that contain information regarding militias, antigovernment/ anti-establishment groups, terrorism, bombmaking/ usage, anarchy, etc.

Military - Official
Official web sites of government backed military organizations. All .mil top-level domains

Military - Appreciation
Sites that pertain to individual appreciation, remembrance or dedication to military units and organizations such as veterans, troop support, honoring military divisions, etc.

Movies & Television
Sites that discuss and promote film and television. This includes official sites of movies and television programs as well as those of film and television celebrities. Also included are personal fan sites of the aforementioned.

Music Appreciation
Sites that discuss and promote music, musicians, and the methods in which they are distributed. These sites include official web sites of musicians as well as fan sites that promote musical subjects and artists, playlists, lyrics, legal/licensed and mp3 distribution.

News
Web sites that distribute news, current events, and headlines.

Obscene/Tasteless
Sites that contain explicit graphical or text depictions of such things as mutilation, murder, bodily functions, horror, death, rude behavior, executions, violence, and obscenities etc.

Online Classes
Sites that provide access to classes conducted via the Internet.

Online Greeting Cards
Sites that offer e-greeting cards or e-postcards.

Outdoor Recreation
Sites pertaining to outdoor activities and non-competitive athletic activities, such as hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, rock climbing.

Paranormal
Sites dealing with subjects of the paranormal. This includes topics such as mysticism, UFOs, astrology, numerology, the occult, tarot, crypto-zoology and conspiracy theories.

Peer-to-Peer/File Sharing
Sites that offer peer-to-peer file sharing software and transfers.

Personals/Dating
Sites related to personal ads, dating sites, dating services, dating tips, relationships, introductions, "how-to find a mate" sites, introductions for purposes of finding friends or other relationships, etc.

Political Opinion
Opinions dealing with political concerns such as party platforms, political reform, candidate advocacy, PACs, lobbying organizations, campaign sites, "the president sucks" sites, recall sites, etc.

Pornography
Sites that portray sexual acts, activity, nudity, toys, stories/writings, bestiality, fetishes, videos, etc.

Real Estate
Sites pertaining to the buying, selling, renting, and leasing of properties (Commercial and Residential).

Recreation
Sites that pertain to hobbies, collecting, clubs and social organizations. Sites pertaining to horticulture, gardening and yard maintenance. Sites pertaining to decorating and crafting.

Reference
Reference collections including encyclopedias, atlases, historical data, biographies, how-to, language tools and references such as dictionaries, thesaurus and translators, information resources on scientific subjects.

Religion/Religious Establishment
Sites that pertain to mainstream religious institutions such as churches, temples, mosques, church sites, service times, location, church event calendars, etc.

Religious Opinion
Sites that pertain to discussion and/or advocacy of religious organizations, religious opinion and opinions formed from a religious viewpoint.

R-rated
Services pertaining to anything that involves 18 and over material such as lingerie and swimsuits, revealing pictures. Sites that are adult in nature without being explicitly pornographic.

Self-Defense
Web sites that offer information and advocacy of self-defense tools of a non-lethal nature. Includes techniques and products such as those designed to immobilize or harm a subject but not "intended" to cause death (i.e. martial arts, stun guns, mace, etc.)

Self-Help
Sites that include information such as therapies, counseling services, motivation, conferences, articles, self-awareness, spirituality, rape crisis centers, emotional and/or mental wellness, etc.

Search Engines
Major portal sites that either search the Internet or have a directory-based database of sites. Includes all sub-URLs under the main site.

Shopping
Sites that contain consumer oriented online shopping, online malls, classifieds, and online trading/auction services.

Social Opinion
Opinions dealing with social issues such as divorce, business ethics, abortion etc.

Sports
Sites for professional, collegiate, and other competitive sports such as baseball, basketball, hockey, football & soccer teams. Sites that offer information on sports magazines and sporting events such as the winter & summer Olympics, etc.

Streaming Media
Sites that offer "Internet TV" programming, streaming video and other streaming media.

Tickets
Sites that offer ticket sales for entertainment: concerts, sporting events, races, expos, etc.

Theater
Sites that promote and discuss live dramatic productions.

Travel
Sites that offer travel tickets and reservations, travel clubs, travelogues, visitor information bureaus, travel promotions, etc. Sites relating to traveling, such as travel agencies, cruise lines, airfare, etc.

Unsavory/ Dubious
Sites of a questionable legal or ethical nature. Sites which promote or distribute products, information, or devices whose use may be deemed unethical or, in some cases, illegal.

Vehicles
Sites that discuss, promote, and offer information on cars, trucks, motorcycles, watercraft, aircraft and other forms of transportation.

Web-based E-mail
Sites that offer free online web based e-mail services.

Web-based Proxies & Anonymizers
Sites that offer free anonymous proxy services

Web-based Newsgroups
Sites that offer archives of Usenet postings.

Web-based Storage
Sites that offer storage for personal files on remote servers for backup or exchange purposes.

Web Logs
Web sites from personal or non-commercial sources which feature commentary and articles written in a log or journal format (Blogs).

Weapons
Sites that provide information and promote the collecting, maintenance, advocacy and sales of legal firearms, knives, swords and related items.

Weather/Traffic
Web sites that offer weather forecasts, weather updates and traffic conditions/reports.

11th annual Clarence Valley cane toad round-up begins 22 February 2009

The annual Clarence Valley cane toad round-up is on again this week.

So put on some sturdy shoes and long pants, grab your gloves and torch and turn up:

Picture: Tweed Daily News

WHERE: Yamba Golf and Country Club, River Street, Yamba
WHEN: Sunday, 22 February 2009
RAIN: Call NPWS on 0427 484 336 or 0428 965 525
Free BBQ on the night
All welcome Children must be accompanied by an adult

Jeff Thomas, from the Department of Environment and Climate Change, will present a toad seminar, to explain where the pest is in the region and what is being done to get rid of the toads.
The talk will be held on Level 3, 49 Victoria Street, Grafton from noon to 1pm on Wednesday 18 February.

Report a NSW North Coast cane toad sighting and general toad information at Clarence Valley Conservation in Action

A Healthier Future For All Australians Interim Report transcript: a revolution has been recommended but will Rudd and Roxon listen?

The A Healthier Future For All Australians interim report was released today.

At first reading it is somewhat like the curate's egg - good in parts - and although this report is heavy on broadly worded aims and a fair degree of wishful thinking it does have one startlingly good recommendation that the Commonwealth should assume responsibility for primary health care (outside of the public hospital system).

What the report recommends regarding oral health:

11.1 We propose that Australia should have a scheme 'Denticare Australia' for universal access to preventive and restorative dental care, and dentures, regardless of people's ability to pay.

11.2 We propose that 'Denticare Australia' be based on a mixed approach of public and private cover. The additional costs would be funded by an increase in the Medicare Levy of 0.75 per cent of taxable income, with people opting either to become a member of a dental health plan (with a private insurer), or to use public dental services.

11.3 We support an equitable approach to financing a universal dental scheme. Under the proposed approach, the funding of dental services will be linked to ability to pay through an increase in the Medicare Levy.

We estimate that under this approach:

• Many people will pay no more than they currently pay for dental care – the increase in Medicare Levy of 0.75 per cent of taxable income will be smaller than existing out-of-pocket costs for dental services for many people.

• People on low incomes will pay considerably less and have much better access to dental health services.

11.4 We support the introduction of a one-year internship scheme prior to full registration, so that clinical preparation of oral health practitioners (dentists, dental therapists and dental hygienists) operates under a similar model to medical practitioners.

11.5 We propose the national expansion of the pre-school and school dental programs.

11.6 We propose that additional funding be made available for improved oral health promotion, with interventions to be decided based upon relative cost-effectiveness assessment.

Full copy of A Healthier Future For All Australians interim report is here.
Reform directions section is here.

See: Attention: Rudd, Rees, Roxon, Saffin, Elliot. This mouth has been almost a decade on the public dental treatment waiting list

Janelle Saffin MP on North Coast industrial relations

Federal Labor's Janelle Saffin, Member for Page, speaking in the House of Representatives last week:

Re-establishing fairness to Australian workplaces was one of the hallmarks of the Rudd Labor government, so when I hear of workers in my electorate of Page being treated more like cattle than people it makes my blood boil. One of my first jobs after leaving school in Ipswich was as an abattoir hand. It was hard, physical and sometimes dangerous work. On staggered days last year—28 November, 1 December and 2 December—up to 23 employees turned up to a south Grafton abattoir for work to be told by embarrassed foremen that they were out of a job due to 'a WorkCover thing'. They were handed a week's pay, shown the gate and thrown out on Armidale Road to uncertain futures. Appallingly, they did not receive their rightful entitlements: termination pay, redundancy, annual leave and long service—nothing. Coming up to Christmas, with mortgages to service, bills to pay and presents to buy, this was a very cruel, bloody-minded and gutless way to treat employees, some of whom had been veterans of the slaughter floor.

All of these workers tell me they were employed by Tempus Holdings Pty Ltd, a labour hire company that provided labour to abattoir owner Stuart Ramsey's company Ramsey Food Processing Pty Ltd. The sacked workers were informed in writing that Tempus Holdings would on 28 November 2008 cease to be a labour hire company supplying labour for Ramsey Food Processing Pty Ltd. The local Daily Examiner newspaper, which has been championing the plight of the affected workers and their right to entitlements, has repeatedly asked Stuart Ramsay, Tempus Holdings director Michael Considine and their solicitors about the complex corporate structure attached to the abattoir. The Daily Examiner's inquiries have been met by silence and stonewalling. I have twice written to Mr Ramsey, on 12 December and 12 January, on behalf of my constituents seeking clarification on exactly who is responsible for paying the sacked workers their outstanding entitlements, but I have had no response to date............

I have arranged for any sacked abattoir employee to get free legal advice on unfair dismissal or unlawful termination from the Lismore based Northern Rivers Community Legal Centre. I have raised this with my colleague the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations the Hon. Julia Gillard. I raised the allegations of these men with the Commonwealth Workplace Ombudsman and am heartened to say that they have given a high priority to their investigation..........

I know that the Workplace Ombudsman recently served a notice to produce documents on the director at the registered office of Tempus Holdings and that significant resources are being directed at the investigation. I am encouraging more affected workers to come forward and provide evidence so that they can recover what is rightfully theirs and perhaps discourage rogue employers out there from running roughshod over other workforces in regional Australia. I do not care what tricky, albeit legal, company arrangements may have been put in place, the person morally and ethically responsible for paying these workers their entitlements is the person who owns the abattoir—Stuart Ramsey.

The full text of Ms. Saffin's speech here.

Is local government to blame for bushfire vulnerability in villages and small towns?

As the main stream media and blogosphere begin to discuss the causes of Victorian bushfire fatalities, a voice of reason is heard in the remarks of Russell Rees, chief officer of Victoria's Country Fire Authority:

AUSTRALIANS living in the bush and in semi-rural suburbs must change the way they live or else risk dying in bushfires....................
firefighters could no longer guarantee saving the lives of those who chose to surround themselves with vegetation despite the obvious fire risks.................

"We've got to choose," .....'If we choose to live in this way, then who do we blame? My fear is that people will say the fire service failed (last Saturday) and I will go to my grave saying we fought our guts out.
"Fundamentally, our community is choosing to live in a way I can't, and our people can't, guarantee their survival. Why do we choose a system of civilisation that puts itself at so much risk?"

Mr. Rees quite rightly mentions personal lifestyle preferences.

However, we also need to remember that local government hungry for residential and business rate revenues and developers avid for less expensive land to sell on at a profit are also pushing the same dangerous (albeit attractive) lifestyle.

This same scenario can be seen playing out in the Northern Rivers coastal town of Yamba right now.

Not only is Clarence Valley Council seriously considering development of flood prone land at West Yamba, this same land sits directly above scrub and forest cover which extends further south into Yuraygir National Park.

When strong southerly winds are driving bushfires, the blaze can (and has) come raging up past Wooloweyah and begin knocking on West Yamba's door.

Which makes one narrow bridge over the Clarence estuary a very chancy exit for around 6,000 people.

Photograph from The Australian

Greed no longer rules in the corridors of power?

I've watched with growing amazement as governments all around the world have thrown money at financial institutions and industry with almost reckless abandon as everyone tries to stop the economic haemorrhaging.
I thanked my lucky stars that (with the exception of the ABC childcare debacle) money wasn't going directly to corporation bailouts here in Australia.

When the Yanks began to put together their latest stimulus package I thought that some sanity might be returning, for President Obama was making a lot of noise about stopping these big corporations spending some of that enormous pile of taxpayer funding on their own salary packages and bonuses.

At first it seemed that my optimism was premature and greed was still stalking the corridors of power and board rooms across America because it appeared that the move to cap these often multi-million dollar payouts is in trouble.
"Congressional efforts to impose stringent restrictions on executive compensation appeared to be evaporating yesterday as House and Senate negotiators worked to fine-tune the compromise stimulus bill."
Another day brought other news however and the U.S. Congress has gone even further than the conditions suggested by Obama as it applies the cap retrospectively.
"The bill, which President Obama is expected to sign into law next week, limits bonuses for executives at all financial institutions receiving government funds to no more than a third of their annual compensation. The bonuses must be paid in company stock that can be redeemed only when the government investment has been repaid. With the measure, lawmakers seek to address public outrage over extravagant Wall Street paydays even as taxpayers bail out the industry."

Perhaps Sol Trujillo may decide to stay with Telstra after all - he now milks a more productive cow Downunder.

Across the Pacific: links comparing two economic stimulus packages

For all those political tragics out there this weekend.

From Open Congress last week the Obama Administration's $789.5 billion economic stimulus package in its final form:

H.R. 1 – American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009:

Text of the Conference Report-Division A

Text of the Conference Report-Division B

Joint Explanatory Statement – Division A

Joint Explanatory Statement – Division B

From Com Law the Rudd Government $42 billion economic stimulus package passed by the Australian Parliament last week:

Appropriation (Nation Building and Jobs) Bill (No. 1) 2008-2009

Appropriation (Nation Building and Jobs) Bill (No. 2) 2008-2009

Household Stimulus Package Bill 2009

Tax Bonus for Working Australians Bill 2009

Tax Bonus for Working Australians (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2009

Commonwealth Inscribed Stock Amendment Bill 2009

As the stimulus package amendments which the Rudd Government was forced to concede do not yet appear to have made it into publication, here is the Senate Hansard transcript for 12 February 2009.