[LINK] xxx approved

[Tom Koltai]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: link-bounces at mailman.anu.edu.au 
> [mailto:link-bounces at mailman.anu.edu.au] On Behalf Of Jan Whitaker
> Sent: Sunday, 20 March 2011 8:00 PM
> To: link at anu.edu.au
> Subject: [LINK] xxx approved
> 
> 
> [and what about a .au option? Will the main domain registrars here 
> also licence .xxx?]
> 
> "FRANCISCO (AP) -- You've heard of ".com" and ".org." Joining them 
> soon will be their bawdy cousin: ".xxx."
> 
> On Friday, the board of directors of the Internet Corporation for 
> Assigned Names and Numbers, which oversees the Internet's naming 
> system, approved the creation of a red-light district online for 
> pornographic websites. It follows a decade-long battle over 
> such a name.
> 
<SNIP>
> 
> ICANN had repeatedly rejected Lawley's application since 2000, under 
> pressure from Christian groups and governments unhappy with the 
> spread of online porn. Lawley has pitched the suffix as a way for 
> parents to more easily block access to the content. He argues it will 
> be easier for Web filtering software to block ".xxx" sites since they 
> are clearly labeled as porn."
> 
>http://www.9news.com/news/sidetracks/188290/337/Domain-xxx-approved-for
-Web-porn-sites?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|t

It's about time the Internet caught up with the Government on this
issue.

The Australian Government resolved these matters successfully, some time
and I quote:  (Nostalgically...)

Quote/
Page 1084 OFFICIAL YEAR BOOK OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA
13010_1956_bk42 1956

§ 12. Film Censorship Board.
1. Legislation.—The Censorship of imported films derives its authority
from Section
52 of the Customs Act which gives power to prohibit the importation of
goods. Under
this section, regulations have been issued prohibiting the importation
of films except
under certain conditions ai>d with the consent of the Minister. The
regulations provide,
inter alia, that no film shall be registered which in the opinion of the
Censor is (a) blasphemous,
indecent or obscene ; (6) likely to be injurious to morality, or to
encourage
or incite to crime ; (c) likely to be offensive to the people of any
friendly nation ; (d) likely
to be offensive to the people of the British Empire ; or (e) depicts any
matter the exhibition
of which is undesirable in the public interest.
The regulations governing the exportation of Australian-made films are
similar
with the addition that no film may be exported which in the opinion of
the Censorship
is likely to prove detrimental or prejudicial to the Commonwealth of
Australia.
The Censorship consists of a Censorship Board of three persons and an
Appeal Censor,
the headquarters being in Sydney. There is also a right of appeal to the
Minister.
In addition to the censorship of moving pictures, the Censorship may
refuse to
admit into Australia any advertising matter proposed lo be used in
connection with the
exhibition of any film. In regard to films and advertising matter
produced in Australia,
legislation of a uniform nature is now operative in all States except
South Australia.
Under the State legislation the Commonwealth Film Censorship
Organization acts as
censor for the States concerned by virtue of agreement entered into
between the Commonwealth
and the respective State Governments.
2. Import of Films.—Imported standard size (35-millimetre) films dealt
with bv the
Censorship for the year 1955 were as follows :—-1,148 films of 3,178,017
feet passed without
elimination, 120 films of 945,286 feet passed after eliminations and 4
films of 30,485
feet rejected, making a total of 1,272 films of 4,153,788 feet. Appeals
were lodged
against the rejection of two films, one of which was upheld, whilst the
other was disallowed
AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL FILM BOARD AND THE FILM DIVISION. 1085
The countries of origin were as follows :—United States of America, 687
films of 2,2.19.702
feet; United Kingdom, 275 films of 960,493 feet; and other countries,
310 films of 943,593
feet.
The films which chiefly concern the Censorship are the feature or
dramatic film. Of
these, 412—3.391,605 feet were imported during 1955 (223—1,866,087 feet
from the
United States of America and 104—787,533 feet from the United Kingdom).
Two
hundred and ninety-four—2.441.743 feet were passed without eliminations.
114—919,377
feet were passed with eliminations and four films of 30,485 feet were
rejected in the first
instance. In two instances an appeal was lodged, one of which was
upheld, whilst
the other was disallowed. During 1953, 401 feature films were dealt
with, 278 being
passed without eliminations and 122 passed with eliminations, while one
film rejected
in the first instance was subsequently passed for public exhibition.
There were also imported, during 1955, 5,66i miniature films (16
millimetres) of
3,963.628 feet and 4,413 miniature films (9.5 and 8 millimetres) of
1,637,612 feet. Six
8-millimetre films and three 16-millimetre films were rejected. No
appeals were lodged
against rejection of the films.
3. Export of Films.—The number of films exported for the year 10.51 was
2.505 of
1,721,034 feet, of which 1,988 films of 1,335,072 feet were sent to
British countries,
including Trust Territories and 293 films of 209,044 feet were sent to
the United States
of America.
§ 13. Australian National Film Board and the Film Division.
i. The Australian National Film Board.—The Australian National Film
Board was
inaugurated in April, 1945, on the recommendations of a Commonwealth
Government
inter-departmental committee which considered the suggestions of a
conference of
interested individuals and Commonwealth and State officials, including
Directors of
Education, called in November, 1944 by tne Ministers for Information and
Post-war
Reconstruction. It was attached, for administrative purposes, to the
Department of
Information.
With the abolition of the Department of Information in March. 1950,
administration
of the Board was transferred to the News and Information Bureau.
Department
of the Interior.
In November, 1950, the Board was reconstituted as an advisory body to
the Minister
for the Interior on matters concerned with the production, distribution
and acquisition
of films required by Commonwealth departments for the following purposes
:—
(a) for use within Australia on important matters of national interest
and welfare,
such as school and adult education, rehabilitation, social development,
international understanding, trade and tourist expansion, and
immigration
;
(b) for dissemination abroad to expand trade and commerce with other
countries,
encourage tourist traffic with Australia, improve Australia's relation!
with other countries and, where necessary, to explain Australia's
national
policies, and to encourage immigration.
The constitution provides for a membership of ten, with the Secretary of
the Department
of the Interior, Chairman, the Director of the News and Information
Bureau,'
Deputy Chairman, and the remainder representative of Commonwealth
Departments,
State Government instrumentalities and organizations interested in the
production,
distribution or utilization of films for national publicity.
2. The Film Division of the News and Information Bureau.—Production, and
distribution
of all films required by Commonwealth Departments is undertaken by the
stafl
of the Film Division, News and Information Bureau, Department of the
Interior, or by
commercial enterprises under the supervision of officers of the Film
Division. Theatrical
distribution in Australia, and both theatrical and non-theatrical
distribution overseas,
of all Film Division productions are organized by the News and
Information Bureau's
home office or its oversea representatives. Non-theatrical distribution
in Australia
is organized through the National Library, Canberra, in co-operation
with State fihn distribution
agencies.

Page 1086 
CHAPTER XXIX.—MISCELLANEOUS.
The first Australian Government organization for the production of
motion pictures
for national publicity proposes was the Cinema and Photographic Branch
of the Department 
of Commerce, set up in Melbourne in 1920. Early in the 1939-45 War the
newly-established Department of Information was made responsible for the
operation
of the Cinema Branch and for an Official War Photography Unit.
Since 1946 the Film Division has produced 239 films for general
exhibition, as well
as training and special purpose films. Prints are dispatched to 40
oversea centre*
where distribution is arranged by News and Information Bureau officers
or other
Australian representatives. In Britain there is regular distribution
through more
than a thousand theatres, and a large non-theatrical and educational
"cries of circuits.
By arrangement with the British Broadcasting Corporation, items of
topical interest
photographed by the Film Division ore flown to London for television. In
the United
States of America there is wide non-theatrical distribution and
considerable use of the
films by television networks. An exchange arrangement with the National
Film Board
of Canada secures extensive distribution in Canada. French versions,
prepared ia
Paris under the supervision of the Australian Embassy, circulate through
France and
French-speaking countries. Selected films have also been recorded in
Dutch, German,
Italian, Japanese, Hindustani, Tamil and other Indian dialects.
In addition to films made on the initiative of the News and Information
Bureau, ths
Film Division has produced, or is producing, films under the sponsorship
or with the
co-operation of Commonwealth Departments and many other bodies such as
the Commonwealth
Bank of Australia, the Road Safety Council, Overseas Telecommunications
Commission, Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Authority, Australian Wine
Board, the
Australian National University and the Australian Broadi asting
Commission.
The co-operation of the Australian motion picture industry with the
Commonwealth
spontaneously offered at the outset of the 1939-45 War, continues.
Special films for
argent national appeals are planned, produced and distributed with the
assistance of
the National Films Council of the motion picture industry and its Film
Production
Advisory Committee.

/Quote.

Just goes to show that sometimes the Internet takes longer to resolve
these mundane housekeeping tasks than our elected officials.

Thars Gold in them der Year Books...

Hands up all those that think .xxx is a better idea than refused
classification, maybe we could even filter .xxx based on the Medicare
bio data of the person viewing the OLEO bioscanner LED screen...

Isn't progress wonderful. 

TomK