This Internet monitoring thing has nothing to do with criminal behaviour. It doesn’t even work that well in China. It does in my view have a lot more to do with what the government thinks we should know and I have a real problem with that. The government will probably persist in the hope that an “event” comes along which can be used to spearhead the next assault on our liberties. It is a bit like the use of the bushfires tragedy to justify the latest anti-libertarian thrust i.e. the national telecommunications database. This little gimmick appears to be supported by all sides of parliament - perhaps without any thought to a possible ulterior motive. The excuse for this necessity that it is essential to be able to notify everyone in the event of a future crisis. Not sure that was the problem here. Nevertheless, the government needs all of your phone numbers and other means of contact. Surprisingly, the mainstream media has had little to say about this Big Brother Database which Telstra will maintain and which is being discussed in parliament at the present time.

I have an idea. Why don’t we just ask people in fire or flood prone zones to register if they want an alert system. They can supply whatever means of contact they feel most appropriate? And why is it necessary for people not in flood or fire prone areas to accede to the sequestration of such information?

Come on guys!