The minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, Daryl Williams, today released a statement in which he scalded the opposition for attempting to amend the bill, and played down its potential impact.
"The Australian Government does not pretend that legislation alone will be the silver bullet to address this global nuisance," a statement from the ministers office read. "Spam poses a complex problem for the international community and the solution is not straight-forward."
The minister is hopeful the new legislation will lead to increased cooperation across borders. "By removing Australia as a source of spam through the legislation passed today, we will be able to promote international collaboration to fight spammers."
The ALP and Australian Democrats originally amended the bill, but indicated its intention to pass the bill if the Howard government rejected the proposed changes.
"I welcome the Opposition's decision to stop delaying this important legislation in the Senate," Williams said.
The anti-spam bill will take affect 120 days after it is given "Royal assent", or approval, by the governor general.
