Australia’s Greens Offer a More Sensible Internet Gambling Filter Plan

Aussie gamblers who enjoy playing at online gambling sites in Australia have been worried lately about proposed plans to implement a mandatory ISP-level filter system. The proposed filter would block any sites the government sees fit to block, including websites that provide access to x-rated pornography and to internet gambling.  

While both the Libs and the Greens have offered election promises that would have the net censorship blocked in the Senate to prevent it from ever becoming a reality, the Greens are now offering a gambler-friendly alternative. Instead of a mandatory ISP filter, the Greens suggest an optional filter system that Australian internet users install on their own system, giving them control over what sorts of websites are blocked. The only part of the proposed system that would be mandatory is making a decision to either opt-in or opt-out.  

Under this system, anyone who wishes to enjoy internet gambling in Australia would be welcome to do so. The goal of the filter is, after all, to protect young people from stumbling upon undesirable websites, not to prevent Australians from gambling online. 

Greens communications spokesperson Senator Scott Ludlam explained, “Filtering has a role in preventing accidental exposure to material that is inappropriate for a young audience. But rather than filtering a very limited range of material at the ISP level that does not include, for example, X rated pornography or gambling sites, let’s place an obligation upon ISPs to offer PC-based filtering solutions that can be customised to block a much broader range of content at the local, individual PC level.”  

The Labor Party has already budgeted $40.8m for these so-called cyber safety initiatives, and it seems that this is more than enough to fund the proposed system, which would apparently be very inexpensive to implement.