Last month I sent an an open letter to Stephen Conroy about the likely failure of his Internet filter. I received this reply the other day.
You can find a scanned copy of the letter in my Flickr stream: Reply from Senator the Hon Stephen Conroy.
Cybersafety and internet service provider filtering
Thank you for your recent correspondence to the Minister for Broadband, Communications, and the Digital Economy, Senator the Hon Stephen Conroy, concerning cybersafety and internet service provider (ISP) filtering.
Due to the announcement that there will be a Federal Election on 21 August 2010, the Australian Governrnent is now subject to the caretaker conventions and your correspondence has been forwarded to the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy for response regarding factual matters.
Information on the current Governrnent’s cybersafety plan, including the ISP-level filtering policy, can be found on the Department’s website at www.dbcde.gov.aulcybersafetyplan. To view the Minister’s latest media release on ISP filtering please go to www.minister.dbcde.gov.aulmedialmediaJeleases.
As your letter raises policy issues these should be raised with the incoming government following the election.
I trust this information will be of assistance.
Yours sincerely
Lachlann Paterson
Assistant Secretary
Content Programs
The most effective way to send an email message to a Government Department is to write it and then consign it to the recycle bin. This prevents your in box filling up with meaningless responses. Plus, it helps to save taxpayer dollars when public servants with nothing better to do are distracted from their tea breaks to send formal responses thanking you and advising that your correspondence has been forwarded elsewhere.
Great Blog! Thanks for sharing.