Joe Hockey attacks internet filter

Shadow treasurer Joe Hockey has attacked the Government’s proposed internet filter, flagging the possibility the Opposition will vote against the plan.

“What we have in the Government’s internet filtering proposals is a scheme that is likely to be unworkable in practice. But more perniciously it is a scheme that will create the infrastructure for government censorship on a broader scale,” he said in a speech.

“Protecting liberty is about protecting freedoms against both known and future threats. Some may argue that we can surely trust a democratically-elected government in Australia to never try to introduce more wide-spread censorship. I am not so sure!”

Communications minister Stephen Conroy has said the legislation for the internet filter will be introduced into the Senate in the next few months, with the filter itself to be operational within one year.