Lundy: My filter views 'well known'

Labor Senator Kate Lundy has backed away from directly commenting on the government's internet filtering policy, saying her views on the subject are "well known".

"I think it was a predictable announcement given the previous reporting that the tests were apparently satisfactory," Lundy told ZDNet.com.au this morning.

The senator, a strong advocate of the free and open use of information technology within government, was reluctant to comment further. "I'm obviously getting a lot of emails on the subject," she said. "My views are well known on this topic."

While in opposition, Lundy was highly critical of the Howard Government's intentions to introduce mandatory internet filtering.

In 2004 she told ZDNet.com.au: "In contrast to the Howard Government, Labor has at least an understanding of the operation of the internet that will ensure our content policies are relevant, useful and meaningful to internet users, not divisive, fear-mongering and irresponsible."

"For example, Labor has always argued that the best approach to internet content management is empowering end users by helping them acquire the skills and confidence for using the net, supervising their children, and installing content and spam filters at the desktop as they see fit," she said.

Lundy helped establish the federally funded Government 2.0 Taskforce, which launched in June. Earlier this month, the taskforce published a draft report recommending that public sector information should wherever possible be free, based on open standards, easily discoverable, understandable, machine-readable and freely reusable and that doing so would "reinforce a healthy democracy".