Tag Archives: auspol

Turnbull Still Failing Miserably On NBN

A year ago, I wrote an article criticising the lack of progress on the revised NBN plan, introduced by Malcolm Turnbull after the change in government in 2013. I labelled it a “dismal” performance – and that’s exactly what it was. Greens Senator Scott Ludlam questioned progress at a Senate hearing on July 11, 2014, […]

Turnbull Sells Out – When Is The Exorcism?

Time for a quick waltz down memory lane. Who else remembers the nonsensical plan by former Communications Minister Stephen Conroy, for the mandatory filtering of all internet connections in Australia, to attempt to block all material online which had been classified “Refused Classification” (RC)? The campaign against it was long and hard, and eventually Conroy […]

Remember When The Turnbull Staffer Said This?

The sacking of SBS reporter Scott McIntyre after a series of controversial tweets with respect to ANZAC Day has certainly stirred up a whirlpool of reaction, and fired up the free-speech debate in Australia. Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull got involved, making sure that McIntyre’s tweets were seen by his boss, SBS managing director Michael Ebeid. […]

Propaganda Targeted With Propaganda?

Today has seen another episode of “completely missing the point” released by the Australian Government. Government Targets Online Terror Propaganda “Terrorist propaganda posted on social media and the internet will be monitored and analysed under an $18 million plan announced by the Abbott government.” How will they target the propaganda? “The government will also produce […]

The Metadata Minefield

Despite there being little or no evidence on the effectiveness or usefulness of mass data retention in jurisdictions where it has been implemented, our current Australian government seems determined to steamroll legislation through the parliament to introduce it here. For its part, despite some noises against the idea, the current opposition Labor party – (the […]

Think Drone Strikes Are Okay?

With all the current ruckus with respect to potential terror attacks – (the threat of which I am not seeking to understate) – and Australia likely heading into Iraq to carry out airstrikes, it is probably important to gain a perspective on how potential terror attacks are dealt with. John Oliver nails it once again.

Reducing Government Red Tape…Or Not…

Having recently moved – and changing electorates in the process – I’m going through the usual rigmarole of changing my registered address for just about everything. A pain in the butt, but a necessary evil. Fortunately, given many government agencies share data, the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) automatically finds out about your move – (in […]

The Internet Has Not Changed – But Malcolm Has!

Oh, how the mighty will flip-flop when the political need arises – right? The government has released a discussion paper through Communications Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, and Attorney-General George Brandis, with a view towards having internet service providers police the illegal downloading of content. “The Abbott government has moved to crack down on illegal downloading, saying […]

Turnbull Dismally Fails First NBN Test

It has been a pretty common refrain from Malcolm Turnbull that the management of the National Broadband Network project by the previous government was “pathetic” – both before and after the previous election in September 2013. Count how many times he uses that exact word in this transcript. Morever, how about this quote? “This is […]

NBN Flux: Why Even?

The National Broadband Network (NBN) has been a torrid political beast for around five years, ever since it was first mooted by the then communications minister, Stephen Conroy, and the then Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd. One of the first arguments by opponents of the scheme was along the lines of: “We already have access to […]