Conroy to release filtering report and discussion paper

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has promised to release a discussion paper alongside Enex TestLab's government commissioned report into ISP-level filtering.

Senator Conroy said he would release Enex TestLab's ISP-level filtering pilot report verbatim.

"We'll be releasing the Enex version as received in full," said Senator Conroy.

The Minister said that there were "a range of considerations" at hand before releasing it.

"I will attempt to release it as soon as I am able to," he said. "I'm not trying to get out of releasing it but I assure you, I'm going to release it as I said I would release it".

He noted there were "processes of government" that the report had to go through before it was released and said he didn't have control of all of those processes.

Discussion paper

When the Minister releases the report it will include "both the report and a discussion paper around what is an improved mechanism with some other transparencies and accountabilities," the Minister said.

He said that  "a number of ideas and options" would be included within the discussion paper which had not been finalised as yet, but was close to being completed.

Responding to a question from Green's Communications Senator Scott Ludlam, Conroy said that he expected a timeframe of around one month for discussion but said no final decision had been made.

"A month wouldn't seem to be unreasonable," he said. "I'm sure there'll be a lot of interest in it. If it's longer than that don't hold me to the month. As I said, I'm not seeking to limit commentary on that by a short timeframe."

The Green's Senator also wanted to ensure the discussion paper would not be released on New Years Eve, the date of which Senator Conroy announced the mandatory ISP-level filtering pilot in 2007.

"I think a public consultation on the website for four weeks would be a reasonable comment period Senator Ludlum," Conroy responded.

The Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy has spent close to $300,000 on the ISP-level filtering pilot this year. This figure does not include involvement of Enex TestLab in the filtering pilot.