FAMILIES URGED TO LOBBY TELSTRA AND OPTUS FOR INTERNET PORN FILTER TRIAL

"Every australian has a fundamental right to access the internet free from pornography and extreme violence".

WEDNESDAY 19TH APRIL, 2006

Senator Guy Barnett today urged Tasmanian customers of Telstra and Optus who support the trail of internet pornography filtering to lobby the telcos to take part in the mid-year trial.

'I am disappointed that these two giant Internet Service providers appear to be snubbing their noses at a trial being offered at no cost to either them or their customers," Senator Barnett said.

"I call on Telstra and Optus to be good corporate citizens. I urge them to recognise the extent and depth of their duty of care as internet providers and take part in the trial."

Senator Barnett said he would write to both telcos, asking them to reconsider their current decision not to participate in the trial.

"In the United States 80% of ISP's provide internet filtering for free. If Telstra and OPtus are so convinced that current safeguards are adequate and therefore they are so sure a trial would show this to be the case, they would surely have no problems with and ISP-based trial offered free of charge.\," he said.

"They may say that the current safeguards are okay, but the community is saying to me current safeguards are not okay. I urge all Tasmanian internet customers of Telstra and Optus to email or write to them and request that they participate in the trial.

"All of these customers have a fundamental right to access the internet free from pornography and extreme violence, and it is the duty of the internet service provider to constantly explore ways of updating this level od service ad protection," he said.

Last week Senator Barnett revealed how he has secured offers from two companies based in the United States and Sydney to trial free of charge, the removal of internet pornography and extreme violence across Tasmania for three months.

The trial is the first of it's kind in Australia and if proven could become the forerunner to operate across Australia. The two companies are rulespace based in Beaverton, Oregon, and Sydney based company Internet Sheriff Technology.

The filtering companies say they have the agreement of a number of ISPs who would be involved in a Tasmanian Trial. Telstra and Optus constitute the remainder of ISPs.

The filtering proposal is not intended as a blanket prohibition on access by adults to internet pornography or extreme violence. The filtering would allow adult internet users to opt-in to have access to this medium if they wished.

"The objective in the first instance is to protect children, before we consider the rights of adults," Senator Barnett said,