Parliament decides if filter is dead: Conroy

An undefeated Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has refused to declare the government's mandatory internet filter policy dead in the water.

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy (Credit: Liam Tung/ZDNet Australia)

"Parliament decides that ultimately," Conroy told Triple J "Hack" reporter Kate O'Toole yesterday.

On the very same program two weeks ago, Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey revealed that the Coalition would not carry the policy if the party won government on 21 August and would vote against the legislation if it was entered into parliament under a re-elected Labor government.

Despite the Coalition and Greens opposition to the policy leading to many declaring the filtering legislation as dead, buried and cremated, Conroy has resisted calls for the policy to be scrapped, stating the legislation would still come before parliament under a re-elected Labor government.

"The parliament is a robust chamber, as you'd expect, and there are many different points of view and the debate that will be had will be a good thing. And if it loses, it loses; that's democracy."

Conroy said that the government had taken steps in response to concerns from the public regarding the policy, announcing a review of refused classification (RC) material by the classification board.

"If people want to argue that golden showers shouldn't be contained in RC, or that bestiality or pro-rape websites [shouldn't be included] ... I invite you to put in a submission to the independent process so that you can have your say."

In response to Treasurer Wayne Swan previously telling "Hack" that the filter policy could move in different directions, Conroy highlighted the voluntary child pornography filtering implemented by internet services providers Telstra, Optus and Primus on the date the RC review was announced.