I recently debated in Sydney on the motion that governments shouldn’t censor the internet. ABC TV broadcast the discussion and our team included a robust explanation on the principles of free speech. An edited version of the debate was broadcast tonight on ABC Radio National Big Ideas:
Showing all posts tagged Australia
Removing this man without due and fair process shames Australia
With this decision, Australia once again shows itself to be far outside the parameters of international law, making security assessments based on a system completely lacking transparency. I once spoke at this Sydney Islamic centre last year and found an important space to engage Muslims on issues related to the Middle East and re-defining the…
We deserve to know the full story of Australian complicity in East Timor
An important story that deserves widespread Australian coverage, on a period in our history that the political elites, of all sides, would like to forget. This story appears in today’s Canberra Times and is written by Philip Dorling: Independent Federal MP Robert Oakeshott has called on Defence Minister John Faulkner to release secret intelligence papers…
Nakba memories and power in the streets of Sydney
Commemorating the Nakba, the Palestinian dispossession of 1948, is a significant annual event. Remembering the victims and highlighting Israel’s ongoing occupation of Palestinian land is a key ritual, bound in present day blood and tears. The Zionist lobby may continue to deny ethnic cleansing and blame Palestinians for their own misfortune (the charming sentiment of…
The three New Zealanders who said “no” to US aggression
Spending time in New Zealand brings fascinating tales of a nation with a radical and independent streak. Admirable and pretty unique. I’ve been told by a number of different people about this story from March this year, an example of a non-violent protest against US wars that resulted in a great deal of local sympathy…
Yet more censorious Jews, this time in Western Australia
This website has documented over the years the litany of events, talks, shows, media and individuals who have been bullied by the Zionist lobby to not speak out over Palestine or simply temper their opinions. The play “Seven Jewish Children” seems to have caused many Jews to act irrationally. Complaining about the work, however irrational…
Israel and Iraq questions provide double whammy in Auckland
I’m currently at the Auckland Writer’s Festival. Wonderful event. Speaking to hundreds of people every day – mainly about the Middle East but also on the importance of alternative voices online – and the one message that keeps on coming up is how rarely dissenting Jewish perspectives or those critical of Israel appear in the…
Overland branded biased by Jewish academics
My following article appears in today’s edition of Crikey: Overland is a quarterly publication published in Melbourne since 1954 and aims to give, in the words of… editor Jeff Sparrow, “space for radicals and liberals”. Over the past few years a handful of articles have appeared written by Jews (including me, principally on peak oil)…
Why internet censorship is a fool’s paradise
My following article is published today by the Sydney Morning Herald/Age online: We live under the illusion that governments can protect us from the evils of the world. Paedophilia, extreme violence, lessons in self-harm and suicide, race hatred and terrorism. We have every right to expect governments to monitor hate and terror sites and arrest…
How many Australians want their government to filter online content? Hint: not very many
Last night in Sydney I successfully debated with some other colleagues that governments should not censor the internet. One of my co-speakers, Google’s Ross LaJeunesse, has an article in today’s Sydney Morning Herald arguing against Australia’s proposed mandatory internet filter. I agree and it looks like many Australians do, too (via ABC Radio’s PM tonight):…