http://www.afr.com.au/content/990618/news/news6.html Internet bill worries MPs By Annabel Hepworth At least two Coalition members will voice concerns about the Federal Government's legislation to expurgate sexually explicit and violent internet material when it starts its passage through the House of Representatives next Monday. Central Coast MP Mr Jim Lloyd and the Member for Parramatta, Mr Ross Cameron, will both voice disquiet on the floor of the Lower House when the controversial Broadcasting Services Amendment (Online Services) Bill is debated next week. The hard-line bill was first introduced in the Senate and made its rocky passage through with the support of independent Senators Brian Harradine and Mal Colston. It introduces a complaints-based regime that gives the Australian Broadcasting Authority the power to issue take-down notices against offensive websites. Yesterday Mr Lloyd said he was worried the regime would jeapordise Australia's position in international trade. "[Companies] may decide that if Australia is to get restrictions or the service is slower, even if there's no real difference, they may decide to host [their web] pages elsewhere in the world," he said. He is also concerned that the costs of implementing the legislation will prove onerous for small internet service providers, particularly in remote and rural areas. "I am pushing for some sort of defined review path ... so if there are big problems for ISPs, there's some form or way of amending the legislation," he said. Mr Cameron will express concerns that the bill will not effectively block X-rated internet content or material refused classification. However, neither Mr Lloyd nor Mr Cameron plan on voting against the bill next week and both support its general thrust. It is understood that at least one other Coalition MP expressed concern about the new regime. END EXTRACT -- ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Howard's GST: a "new" tax for a new millenium... ...to a fifties man everything from the sixties looks brand new. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ------------------------------------------------------- RecOzNet2 has a page @ http://www.green.net.au/recoznet2 and is archived at http://www.mail-archive.com/ To unsubscribe from this list, mail [EMAIL PROTECTED], and in the body of the message, include the words: unsubscribe announce or click here mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20announce This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use." RecOzNet2 is archived for members @ http://www.mail-archive.com/
