Conroy's censorship plans a joke

In the media today there is much commentary about plans for the government to censor websites where games which are refused classification are sold or can be played under the Internet censorship plan.

As Australia doesn't have an R18+ for games, any game which is more suited to adults than MA15+ will be blocked.

The Internet filter, which is supposed to protect children is starting to encroach into other areas of Internet use. It is leaning more towards a China-type filter, which is hardly surprising given Rudd's love of China. Surely adults should be allowed to determine what they wish to view so long as that content is not child pornography.

Where the protection of children is concerned - how about parents use filtering software or even better - supervise their children's Internet usage.

Tanner calling for Liberals to turn over computers - why?

News.com.au is reporting that Lindsay Tanner is calling for Malcolm Turnbull to turn over his computer records to the Australian Federal Police in the wake of the Utegate affair.

Why does Tanner believe that Turnbull must do this? I would of thought if the AFP wanted to see them they would either ask or get a warrant.

Turnbull has been interviewed by Police and I am sure if they need or want more information he would comply.

Tanner is just making a goose of himself.

Utegate highlights Turnbull's inexperience

As the HMS Liberal leaks like a siev what is becoming apparent is Malcolm Turnbull's inexperience in politics. The Herald Sun today reports that Turnbull was warned against attacking Kevin Rudd and advised to just go for Wayne Swan.

Instead, Turnbull went for it like a bull-at-a-gate and completely botched the opposition's attack, centred around dubious evidence given to a senate inquiry by Godwin Grech. Turnbull, being a former lawyer should have known about the importance of relying upon good evidence (something which they had against Wayne Swan).

Instead of solely targetting the Treasurer, the temptation of putting Rudd's head on a platter was far too great. By attacking the PM, Turnbull gave Rudd the opportunity to deflect from Swan and turn the scandal around onto Turnbull.

Such poor judgement shows that Turnbull is not yet ready for the Prime Ministership.

NSW Labor shows true democracy

Over night chaos descended upon the NSW parliament, as Tony Kelly, the only minister in the Legislative Council moved for the house to be adjourned one day early to avoid further defeats to government legislation. The motion didn't proceed to a vote and due to there being no government representative in the house, the President of the Legislative Council adjourned sitting on the "ringing of the long bell".

MLCs were prepared to sit but were unable to do so because there were no ministers in the house. They were effectively locked out due to the ALP going on strike.

It shows the true state of the NSW government when the government can defer it's own legislation by going on strike. Perhaps they should walk out of government as well.

Liberals are afraid

The federal Liberals are afraid of an early election and have dodged one this week by backflipping on the Alcopops tax and deferring the vote on the Rudd government's Emissions Trading Scheme. It was widely speculated that if defeated, the Rudd governement would use the Alcopops legislation to force a double-dissolution.

Labor is now claiming that the opposition are making the parliament unworkable and the country ungovernable and that they are affecting ordinary Australians. These are all words which indicate an election is imminent. The question is how?

Without a double-dissolution, the government may only hold an ordinary election after August 2010, however these words indicate that the government is considering calling a house-only election to demonstrate the Rudd government's mandate and capitalise on disunity in the opposition.

Anonymous source may bring Turnbull, Abetz down

We can safely assume that the "high placed source" quoted in the Herald Sun as claiming that Malcolm Turnbull and Eric Abetz met with Godwin Grech, the treasury official at the centre of the Utegate scandal will be hotly sought out by the Labor party.

The source's claims, if proven could possibly bring down both Turnbull and Abetz. The source claims that Grech allowed both men to read the email and take notes, he did however refuse to ahnd the email over to Turnbull and Abetz.

The claims could be a major headache for Abetz who claimed he heard about the e-mail from a journalist.

Sharman Stone on immigration debt

I read about Sharman Stone and her comment that abolishing debts for immigration detainees is a message to people smugglers that Australia had left her back door wide open and am curious as to why she believes that making asylum seekers pay for their detention slows people smugglers.

Under the Rudd government's proposal people smugglers and illegal fishers will stil be liable to pay for their detention.

When you have debts of $54 million between 2006-8 of which only $2 million is repaid, it shows that there is little, if not nearly zero chance of the government's costs being recovered.

One of the best speeches I have heard in parliament for a while came yesterday when Petro Georgiou spoke on the new legislation. Georgiou said:

"Do we charge drug dealers? Serial paedophiles? Sadistic murderers? Multiple
rapists the cost of their detention?"

"The charging of people who arrive on our shores seeking protection, the cost
of
their detention is part of the way in which we have demonised them and
presented
them as being worse than criminals."

Georgiou and three other Liberal MPs were planning on supporting the government's legislation, despite the official party position being to block it. In the end, the opposition let the draft legislation pass the House of Representatives without a vote. Such a move was smart on Turnbull's part, he doesn't need more images in the media of Liberal MPs crossing the floor.