It was a general comment about the current state of censorship at a federal level.
This specific issue may be a fair question to ask, but within the web filter debate, lack of an R18+ rating for games, and an inconsistent censorship regime throughout the country, I feel the questions being asked are at least ten years too late.
I think the problems are overstated. There really isn't a web filter debate. It's really a bunch of people yelling at a rogue Labour minister who has too much power as leader of the right faction. There are very few people arguing in favour of the plan, and it looks like it will be impossible to pass through parliament.
The lack of an R18+ rating is more a reflection of the problems with the constitution. The federal parliament is unable to make censorship laws that apply to the entire country, and we are therefore dependent upon all six states to agree. The situation now is that 5 states support an 18+ rating, one doesn't.
The serious censorship problems are really that several films, such as Ken Park, have been banned even though there exists an 18+ rating for cinema. Also, the banning of one of Philip Nitschke's books is troubling.
I didn't realise the R18+ issue was state-related. Who's the hold out?
I hope you're right about the web filter debate. I would have said the same thing about the GST, but then there's a big distinction between a PM's personal agenda and a "rogue Labor minister".
"Currently only Michael Atkinson, South Australian Attorney-General opposes the R18 classification introduction and is also blocking the release of a public paper that canvasses the opinion of the Australian public on whether or not an R18 classification should be introduced."
Don't really understand the opposition to the GST. It massively simplified the sales tax system in Australia. We're one of the lowest taxing countries in the developed world.
Thanks. My GST comment wasn't a judgement on it, just a policy comparison. If you'd asked me in '98/'99 about whether Howard would get it through, my response would have been something along the lines of "it looks like it will be impossible to pass through parliament".
I hope this post comes off okay. I've been visiting your country for a few weeks now on holiday, and I've found both here and NZ to be places with wonderful people and scenery.
Having said that, both places seem to have a bit of the nanny-state complex. I can sympathize that it is frustrating -- but it's not all bad, by any means. We've had a wonderful time.
I'm not sure I would chose to live here, however. I've traveled and lived in a bunch of places in the states, and the attitude seems a bit different here. I remember being in NZ last week and seeing the front page of one of their papers -- "New Zealand's Millionaires". It was three or four poor blokes mug-shotted on the front page, just like they had been caught robbing a liquor store or something. The message was clear: rich people have somehow cheated their way to the top. These guys are not to be emulated (except maybe as hoodlums)
So that (and a few other things) makes me more of a visitor who would like to come back than somebody who would want to live here. I think there are a lot of people who are really laid back, and just a few who want to micro-manage everybody else. Unfortunately it only takes a few....
I think it's slowly changing (certainly I haven't heard anything negative about Elizabeth Blackburn and Barry Marshall/Robin Warren -- Nobel Prizes for Med in 2009 and 2005)
I think the reason you haven't heard anything negative about them is because the vast majority of people here wouldn't know who they were or what they did.
On the other hand, if I were to randomly pick a player in the lineup of a state or national football or cricket team, odds are the vast majority of the population here would be overjoyed with the idea of telling you how awesome they are and how much better the world is with them around.
And yes, this is indeed part of the problem with this place.
I'm an Australian and I agree with your comments except to say that I find the "laid back" attitude is a bit of a misnomer - it's really indifference spun to appear as a positive thing.
No I personally moved to AU in 2001 to escape my crappy third world country. I agree that Australia has issues but if you want to live in an English speaking place I think Australia is pretty close to the top of the list.
Personally I could never live in the USA and lately I've felt the same way about the UK. So I was just wondering what options ethereal was considering here out of interest.
I have a few ideas, Switzerland looks quite nice, but I don't think it's really the hot bed of technical innovation I'm looking for, I'm apprehensive about the states, but I think it's ignorant to be so until I have at least visited it, my travels thus far are restricted to South East Asia and Europe.
What I really care about is getting away from the cloying nanny state come cut your tall poppies down culture of this place, it's stifling and I see a pattern of it not only continuing, but getting worse, based on my current twenty nine years living here.
In 2008-09 the classification board received 7,036 applications. That figure included applications for classifying 4,792 films, 1,095 computer games and 197 publications.
What happens when you add 20,000 iPhone games to that. Plus updates - do they have to be re-censored? The principal is ok, but the implementation scares me. (Oh - and we need an 18+ rating for video games, but that's another story)
The principal of classification isn't that great, but it is in play and it is here to stay. So it does need to be fair.
This just underlines the point about scalability issues that this is running into and the great wall of Conroy will also run into. We all know the Internet is way too big to control so why try?
A moments thought and they would have realized that Apple will do all the work for them.
Huge waste of time, money, energy - and basically the things they dont want, wont be filtered out by this [ eg. uncategorized porn on jailbroken phones, if there is such a thing]
Australia is a wonderful country, but we need a bit more clarity in such things as net neutrality, censorship and separation of church and state. [The latter is only hinted at in the constitution, and has been interpreted very weakly in court judgements.]
28 comments
[ 4.3 ms ] story [ 51.1 ms ] threadThis specific issue may be a fair question to ask, but within the web filter debate, lack of an R18+ rating for games, and an inconsistent censorship regime throughout the country, I feel the questions being asked are at least ten years too late.
The lack of an R18+ rating is more a reflection of the problems with the constitution. The federal parliament is unable to make censorship laws that apply to the entire country, and we are therefore dependent upon all six states to agree. The situation now is that 5 states support an 18+ rating, one doesn't.
The serious censorship problems are really that several films, such as Ken Park, have been banned even though there exists an 18+ rating for cinema. Also, the banning of one of Philip Nitschke's books is troubling.
I hope you're right about the web filter debate. I would have said the same thing about the GST, but then there's a big distinction between a PM's personal agenda and a "rogue Labor minister".
"Currently only Michael Atkinson, South Australian Attorney-General opposes the R18 classification introduction and is also blocking the release of a public paper that canvasses the opinion of the Australian public on whether or not an R18 classification should be introduced."
Don't really understand the opposition to the GST. It massively simplified the sales tax system in Australia. We're one of the lowest taxing countries in the developed world.
Here's hoping that's where the comparison ends.
Having said that, both places seem to have a bit of the nanny-state complex. I can sympathize that it is frustrating -- but it's not all bad, by any means. We've had a wonderful time.
I'm not sure I would chose to live here, however. I've traveled and lived in a bunch of places in the states, and the attitude seems a bit different here. I remember being in NZ last week and seeing the front page of one of their papers -- "New Zealand's Millionaires". It was three or four poor blokes mug-shotted on the front page, just like they had been caught robbing a liquor store or something. The message was clear: rich people have somehow cheated their way to the top. These guys are not to be emulated (except maybe as hoodlums)
So that (and a few other things) makes me more of a visitor who would like to come back than somebody who would want to live here. I think there are a lot of people who are really laid back, and just a few who want to micro-manage everybody else. Unfortunately it only takes a few....
I think it's slowly changing (certainly I haven't heard anything negative about Elizabeth Blackburn and Barry Marshall/Robin Warren -- Nobel Prizes for Med in 2009 and 2005)
On the other hand, if I were to randomly pick a player in the lineup of a state or national football or cricket team, odds are the vast majority of the population here would be overjoyed with the idea of telling you how awesome they are and how much better the world is with them around.
And yes, this is indeed part of the problem with this place.
Personally I could never live in the USA and lately I've felt the same way about the UK. So I was just wondering what options ethereal was considering here out of interest.
What I really care about is getting away from the cloying nanny state come cut your tall poppies down culture of this place, it's stifling and I see a pattern of it not only continuing, but getting worse, based on my current twenty nine years living here.
Now, I'm the first person to hate on Stephen Conroy and his ridiculously communist sensorship ideals, but this isn't really one of them.
In 2008-09 the classification board received 7,036 applications. That figure included applications for classifying 4,792 films, 1,095 computer games and 197 publications.
What happens when you add 20,000 iPhone games to that. Plus updates - do they have to be re-censored? The principal is ok, but the implementation scares me. (Oh - and we need an 18+ rating for video games, but that's another story)
This just underlines the point about scalability issues that this is running into and the great wall of Conroy will also run into. We all know the Internet is way too big to control so why try?
Puritanical catholic not commie, but once the system is in place that wont make a difference.
VPN's for one and all!
Pretty good deal for the yanks, they get to export freedom of speech for just $5 bucks a month.
Huge waste of time, money, energy - and basically the things they dont want, wont be filtered out by this [ eg. uncategorized porn on jailbroken phones, if there is such a thing]
Australia is a wonderful country, but we need a bit more clarity in such things as net neutrality, censorship and separation of church and state. [The latter is only hinted at in the constitution, and has been interpreted very weakly in court judgements.]