Beagle writes:

The second half of it [the report] is more interesting as it has some results from the DIA’s testing. This was apparently split into three phases:

1. Single ISP with 5,000 users ((already had their own filtering system so it was probably Watchdog).
2. Two ISPs with 25,000 users.
3. Four ISPs with 600,000 users (at a guess this was when Ihug and TelstraClear joined).

There’s no way to measure the effectiveness of the filter at stopping people from finding child pornography – we can’t tell how many people worked around it or downloaded material using peer to peer filesharing or other methods.

According to the report, the system was operating at 80% capacity in the third phase. Apparently this was a bit much for it as: “the system did experience some stability issues processing this amount of requests and required maintenance on two occasions to replace hardware.”

There is no further detail about whether the “80% capacity” referred to the performance of the filtering system or the Internet connection they were using.

Read Beagle’s complete overview here.

Time guide:

Ms. Fiona Patton – Convenor of the Australian Sex Party (approx 7mins 30 secs)

Mr. Jim Wallace – Managing. Director The Australian Christian Lobby (approx 19mins 51secs)

Mr. Geordie Guy – Spokesperson Electronic Frontiers Australia (approx 43mins 30secs)

Ms Angela Conway – Director Pro-family Perspectives (approx 56mins 00secs)

Questions from the floor are at the 89mins mark.

It didn’t take long. Another video game has been banned by the Australian Classification Board. This time Left 4 Dead 2, the high-profile sequel to the 2008 first-person zombie shooter which was classified MA15+.

The ACB handed down a Refused Classification rating to the new game, citing high in impact violence making it unsuitable for persons aged under 18 to play.

“The game contains realistic, frenetic and unrelenting violence which is inflicted upon “the infected” who are living humans infected with a rabies-like virus that causes them to act violently” the board’s report reads.

Read the ACB report here, courtesy of News.com.au (via IGN).

“The player can choose from variety of weapons such as the pistols, shotguns, guns and sniper rifles. However, it is the use of the “malee” weapons such as the crowbar, axe, chainsaw and Samurai sword which inflict the most damage. These close in attacks cause copious amounts of blood spray and splatter, decapitations and limb dismemberment as well as locational damage where contact is made to the enemy which may reveal skeletal bits and gore. Projectile shots to infected humans can cause abdominal wounds which can reveal innards or even cause intestines to spill from the wounds.”

The ACB also states in the report the interactive nature of the game increases the overall impact of the frequent and intense depictions of violence.

The ban comes just days after Game Spot Australia revealed that progress on the planned public consultation on the introduction of an R18+ game classification is still delayed. Minister for Home Affairs Brendan O’Connor told GameSpot AU that it would be premature to give an indication about when an R18+ classification for computer games could be introduced.

According to IGN, EA Australia has issued the following statement about the Left 4 Dead 2 ban: “[We] are still working through the submission process with OFLC and want to explore all opportunities before making any comment.

A minority of the board recommended Left 4 Dead 2 be classified MA15+ with strong violence classification.

The Minister for Communications told the Herald Sun that the campaign that they’re mounting is erroneous and misinformed and that the government is proposing is to filter refused classification content which includes imagery of child sexual abuse, rape and bestiality.

Of course, that’s far from the truth.

Refused classification is an extremely broad classification category and in most cases it is legal to possess and view RC material in Australia (the exception being Western Australia and some indigenous communities in the Northern Territory or where the content is illegal under criminal codes such as child abuse). RC includes material surrounded by political debate like The Peaceful Pill Handbook, as well as films like Ken Park, adult pornography with fetishes (such as spanking) and even content that depicts or deals with drug misuse and addiction. Video games which do fit below the MA15+ classification are also classified as RC.

In fact, in May of this year the Government revealed that the blacklist (at the time) contained only 32% child abuse material. Another 19% was refused classification material and the remaining 49% was rated X18+ or less.

Here’s the criteria from the National Classification Code for determining if a film is RC:

Films that:

• depict, express or otherwise deal with matters of sex, drug misuse or addiction, crime, cruelty, violence or revolting or abhorrent phenomena in such a way that they offend against the standards of morality, decency and propriety generally accepted by reasonable adults to the extent that they should not be classified; or
• describe or depict in a way that is likely to cause offence to a reasonable adult, a person who is, or appears to be , a child under 18 (whether the person is engaged in sexual activity or not); or
• promote, incite or instruct in matters of crime or violence

Reports on web forums suggest PM.gov.au was DDoS’ed, but returned after approximately five minutes. However, the Herald Sun reports both PM.gov.au and ACMA.gov.au were down for up to an hour.

Anonymous announced they would carry out attacks on government websites at 7PM Wednesday evening, demanding no Internet filter and the resignation of Senator Conroy. However, such methods and demands suggest little understanding of how political policy is changed in Australia. Acts like this have the potential to unravel the hard work already done by many to try and end this policy.

Understandably, like the majority of Australians, Anonymous are frustrated with the government’s plan to censor the web. However, efforts need to be put into legal and well conceived actions, for these have long last lasting effects, not just brief notoriety.

Illingworth was facing up to 20 years of jail on child-abuse charges for posting a video of a baby being swung around.

In an exclusive for SMH, Asher Moses writes:

A spokeswoman for the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions said: “This prosecution was discontinued yesterday after the matter was reviewed by the CDPP … taking into account all of the circumstances involved including the classification given to the material by the Classification Board.”

But the decision was bittersweet for Illingworth, 61, a father of four who was looking forward to his chance to be proven innocent in court.

“I thought I’d be excited but I would’ve been more excited to go into court because I knew I’d done nothing wrong, and they’ve taken that privilege away from me,” he said on the phone today.

Illingworth has called for an inquiry into the matter and told the Sydney paper he will seek legal advice about legal action against parties involved in charging him.

Last week Moses revealed that the video at the centre of the case had been classified as just MA15+ by the Australian Classification Board and that the information had been passed onto the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions. It was for this reason a review was undertaken.

This has been a severely stressful time for Illingworth and I hope he gets justice. Kudos to everyone who helped see this end.

According to the ACB’s report for the Australian comedy, Stone Bros. opens with a montage in which marijuana is shown being cut from the plant, mixed with tobacco and formed into joints. However, the film’s director, Richard J. Frankland, and its distributor, AFS, deny such a scene ever existed.

Odd.

Thankfully the Federal Minister for Home Affairs, Brendan O’Connor, has requested a review and the Classification Review Board will meet on Saturday September 12 to consider applications.

Asher Moses at SMH writes:

The Australian Communications and Media Authority, responding to a complaint about the video on July 9, sent the clip to the Classification Board, which classified the content MA15+.

Under the Classification Board’s guidelines, the impact of MA15+ material “should be no higher than strong” and violence and strong themes “should be justified by context”. MA15+ material is considered unsuitable for persons under 15 years of age.

“As a result of the Classification Board’s decision, the content is not prohibited under the Broadcasting Services Act 1992,” read a letter from ACMA, seen by this website.

Queensland Police has said any Australians who simply view the clip could face a maximum of 10 years in jail but today it refused to comment on the apparent disparity between its and the Classification Board’s definition of child-abuse material.

“As the matter is currently before the courts it would be inappropriate to comment,” a Queensland Police spokesman said.

The information on the Classification Board’s classification decision has been passed on to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions. A spokesman said Illingworth’s case would be reviewed.

The video is believed to be a Russian circus family training and Illingworth was not involved in the production.

Read more at SMH.

Queensland

Dog terrorises the streets

According to Queensland Transport Minister Rachel Nolan, Queensland needs the night ban because riders become almost invisible to motorists after sundown. “I’m not anti-fun, I’m pro-safety” she told the media.

“This is just as much about common courtesy as it is about common sense.” she said. “These riders need to look out for other people out walking or cycling on our roadways too.”

Here’s the clincher:

A spokeswoman for the minister did not have any road toll or injury statistics to hand that supported the ban.

- Brisbane Times

Many Brisbane riders took to the Goodwill Bridge last night to protest, but it looks like the changes will be in place by October with riders who break the new laws copping a $40 fine.

Law enforcement dollars well spent Queensland.

NSW

Another victim of the NSW caffeine-in-a-can trade

One might forgive the NSW Government for trying to divert attention away from certain political matters at the moment, but Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald has diverted them to a black hole of knee-jerk stupidity.

He announced today the Government will look at how it could go about taking energy drinks with high levels of caffeine off the shelves. It comes after ‘five year 7 students from Quakers Hill reportedly suffered side effects including dizziness and nausea after consuming the drinks on their way to school.’ Exactly, what drinks they consumed, the report doesn’t say.

Mr Macdonald urged parents to talk to their children about the dangers of drinking too much caffeine.

“Parental guidance on this one is important,” he said.

“But if we can get them off the market, we will.”

- SMH

Care to make it an East Coast hat-trick Victoria?

“Nick Minchin and the Liberal Party should explain why they don’t support using the latest technology to restrict access to child abuse content and other Refused Classification material,” Senator Conroy said this morning. – SMH

It’s been nearly a whole two years since Senator Conroy took office and those who criticise the government’s plan to censor the Internet are still met with the accusation that they carelessly support child abuse. The same sort of thing we heard all the way back in December 2007. I’m certain organisations like Save the Children, who the Minister knows are vocally against the plan, would appreciate it if he didn’t make such offensive remarks. I know I would.

Accusations like these, this far into the campaign, could mean Conroy is desperately pulling at strings, but I have my doubts. He’s been crucified by the media for similar comments in the past and he isn’t a stupid man (at least not when it comes to politics).

Conroy could be preparing to back away, declaring the ISP filtering trial a failure and leaving voters with the impression he was the one who tried to protect their kids.

However, his arrogance may also suggest that mandatory filtering is so set in stone, a hard line approach is the only option. Be it to force hand in Canberra or to reap the rewards of delivering promised-policy, whatever they may be.

Today Chris received notice from ACMA that the content has been classified R18+. Because it was not behind a restricted access system, it is prohibited content:

As part of the ACMA’s investigation of the complaint, it applied to the Classification Board for classification of the content concerned. As a result of the Classification Board’s decision, and as the content is not subject to a restricted access system, it is prohibited content under clause 20(1)(b) of Schedule 7 to the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 (the Act)

The video has been shown on CNN, as well as Sky News Australia I’m told.

Read the full story at Orzeszek.