Australia Telco Minister Equates Free Speech With Child Porn

Australia is to censor the internet, China-style, and is proud of it. The most interesting part about the clampdown is one wonderful example of doublethink put out by Aussie telcom minister Stephen Conroy. Conroy equated free speech with liking kiddie porn, and did so by accusing others of doing so.

“Labor makes no apologies to those who argue that any regulation of the internet is like going down the Chinese road,” [Telecommunications
Minister Stephen] Conroy said yesterday. “If people equate freedom of speech with watching child pornography, then the Rudd Labor Government is going to disagree.”

It's a brilliant example of how politicians parse concepts, made obvious rather than insidious thanks to Conroy's rhetorical barbarity.

Periodically, the rest of the West rediscovers how ultra-conservative and authoritarian Australia is, and each time it's like "Ooo, every third Australian is a creationist fascist reactionary? I would never have guessed."

Australian Government Equates Freedom Of Speech To Liking Kiddie Porn [TechCrunch]