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Neutering the net is about repression, not protection
It seems like only yesterday that the country was prosperous and the Labor Party was going to make everyone's internet faster. But now the Federal...
Film classification laws out of sync with the 21st century
Globalised production and niche markets make more flexibility essential. Recently a small St Kilda video store, Out Video, drew the attention of...
No need for local films on public purse
Some phrases deserve scare quotes more than others. And it's hard to find a better candidate for the sarcastic use of punctuation marks than the...
The slippery slope towards internet censorship continues
The Australian Government continued down the slippery slope towards internet censorship yesterday by introducing a bill to give the Australian...
The value of secrets to pollies and journos
In 1870, the editor of the Chicago Times got his job description down nicely: "It is a newspaper's duty to print the news, and raise hell." So it...
Laws against concentrated media ownership hurt, rather than help
The Australian reports today that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has begun its inquiry into Fairfax's acquisition of Southern...
Monitoring porn: not government's responsibility
Prime Minister John Howard used last night's webcast to Christian groups across the country to announce a $190 million "crackdown" on pornography,...
Is Aunty's strength a net gain?
The ABC has turned 75 and still occupies a central place in Australia's political status quo. But getting to its 100th birthday may be tougher. The...
Media faces an unsentimental future
Media critics have made careers proclaiming how dangerous media moguls are for Australian democracy. These critics now face an even more serious...
When reform has no bang and barely a whimper
What a difference a year makes. One year ago, when Communications Minister Helen Coonan released the discussion paper which was to become the...