The coalition is in damage control over its bungled internet filtering policy, with senior Liberals lining up to distance themselves from the embarrassing “mistake”.
The coalition’s policy to enhance online safety for children promised a default filtering system for smartphones and other internet services to provide “maximum protection”.
But a reference to imposing an “opt-out” filter on all Australians landed the coalition in hot water, prompting senior Liberals to deny it was their policy intent.
Shadow communications spokesman Malcolm Turnbull, who went on Triple J Radio on Thursday outlining the filter, later said “mistakes happen in campaigns” and it wasn’t coalition policy.
“The reference to an opt-out internet filter did come as a surprise to me,” he told ABC Radio on Friday.
“It was published as a policy by the campaign headquarters, and I did my best to explain it, but it was clearly a mistake.”
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott also put the policy particulars down to human error, saying there was “a badly worded sentence or two in the policy document that went out”.
But Deputy Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was less forgiving, accusing the coalition of being unable to defend their policy when the details were aired in public.
“We saw it released in the afternoon, and it didn’t last until the evening,” he told ABC Radio.
Greens senator Scott Ludlum said it was an “abuse of liberalism” to suggest internet users be put on a government list unless they only wanted to access content suitable for children.
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