Legislation Amendments ... was Re: [LINK] SMH: 'Caribbean casinos win'

[Adam Todd]

>The ABA said it had received 26 complaints and completed 20 investigations 
>since the law was introduced. It had referred details of 11 to internet 
>service providers for inclusion in their filter software, but customers 
>did not have to install this software.

Hang on a second.

I don't agree with gambling in general anyway, but that's beside the 
point.  Since when does the ABA have the role of Internet Censor?  Please 
don't go quoting the 2000 BSA.  It related only to Offensive 
content.  Gambling is not considered offensive content.  Is it?

I'm unaware of any LAW that allows the ABA to put gambling sites into the 
filter black list.  Is this part also protected from the EFA FOI inquries?

>The Government will soon release a review of the law banning most types of 
>interactive gaming sites.

Oh, so we're becoming more and more like China and the Middle East every day.

I received this last week from one of my staff:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi guys!!  Thought I'd drop a quick note to say g'day now that Tropfest 
mania is over!!  (I'm still removed from the whole scene, over in the 
Middle East, where EVERYTHING is censored... I'm currently working on 
Shadowlands (stage play) and almost every line which questions the 
existence of God has been removed; every reference to alcohol and every 
reference to sex (except where it is called fornication - I'm not sure the 
censors could translate that :)  I'm not quite sure which part of the play 
is left... )  There is a risk of being thrown out of the country if one 
challenges authority - state or otherwise.  If you look the wrong way at 
someone at school you are blacklisted and risk losing holiday pay and a 
renewal of contracts.  The royal family have children at the school who set 
an excellent example to all the other children by running amoc without 
having any consequencial disciplinary management.. if we were to remove the 
child, the school would probably be shut down too.  (The Sheikh owns 51% of 
it).  Freedom of speech - is there such a thing??
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Of course I wrote back, considering this arrived the same day the 
Prosecutor on my "serious criminal charges brought by a Government Agency 
against Mr. Todd" was dismissed when the Prosecutor pleaded my defence case.

(Yeah, I'm still on about it, only because we've never seen a prosecutor 
toss a case in a film, TV series or in life before.  Anyone who knows of 
any, we'd like to hear about them!)

>A spokeswoman for the Information Technology Minister, Daryl Williams, 
>would not comment on the survey, which began almost a year ago, but said: 
>"Consideration will be given to whether any amendments to the 
>Commonwealth's legislative framework are appropriate."

Here we go, legislate instead of educate.

Hey, I like that phrase!  "Legislate instead of Educate."  That might be my 
slogan for 2004!

>Jan McMillen, of the ANU Centre for Gambling Research, said by driving 
>Australians offshore, gamblers had been exposed to sites which might have 
>lower standards of player protection than local sites. "Where they can't 
>find the gambling opportunities they want locally, they go elsewhere and 
>the internet is a global market," Professor McMillen said.

Only too true.  I suppose the change being made to the legislation will be 
along the lines of:

1.  A person using an offshore gambling site, knowing it is offshore and 
using it with the intent of gambling is guilty of an offence.

2.  A Carriage Service Provider who provides access to or allows access to 
an offshore gambling site is guilty of an offence, even if they didn't know 
they were providing access or that access was possible.

3.  A person how is aware of another person who is accessing an Internet 
Gambling site, with the exception of a bank or credit card provider who are 
exempt, is guilty of an offence.

4.  A Carrier, other than Telstra, who allows a Carriage Service Provider 
or a person to access an offshore Gambling site is guilty of an offence.




What a great start to the weeeeeeeek.