The office of Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has issued a statement which appears to imply the US State Department had merely asked the Federal Government for background information on its controversial internet filtering project.

On Monday News Ltd blog The Punch quoted US State Department spokesman Noel Clay on the filter project as saying it had “raised concerns on this matter with Australian officials”.

“The Australian and US Governments liaise regularly on a broad range of issues,” Conroy’s office said in a statement issued late this afternoon. “The US State department has asked for, and received, background information only on our policy.”

“There has been a lot of misinformation about the Government’s cyber-safety policy both locally and overseas and we are happy to provide the details.”

The comments come as Canberra in general has gone quiet on the controversial issue since Conroy on Monday night said he had not been aware of the US contact.

The office of Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith has not responded to a request for comment yesterday on the issue, while a spokesperson for his Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade would only say that the Australian and US governments liaised regularly on a broad range of issues, but that it would be inappropriate to discuss the detail.

Conroy’s Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy has not yet responded to a request for comment. Delimiter asked all three parties for details of who the US State Department had contacted, and whether and when Conroy and Smith had been informed of the contact.

Conroy’s statement tonight further repeated earlier statements that the filter policy was to require ISPs to block overseas content that had been deemed Refused Classification.

It also repeated the Minister’s reference to a January speech by US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, in which Clinton said that all societies recognised that free expression had limits. “This view is consistent with the Australian Government’s policy,” the statement from Conroy’s office said.

Image credit: Office of Stephen Conroy

Related posts:

1. Conroy’s dept is not working on the filter
2. Boyce queries Conroy, Smith on US filter concerns
3. Conroy not aware of US filter complaints
4. Filter delayed for a year by RC content review
5. DBCDE forum reveals filter legislation not drafted

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1. Matthew Hatton
   Posted 03/04/2010 at 1:07 pm | Permalink | Reply

   *sigh*
   It’s almost too hard to keep getting angry over this utterly stupid idea. Maybe if Conroy (and everyone else in the government putting the filter forward) won’t listen to the people, maybe they’ll listen to a government that they’re constantly sucking up to and fellating at any given opportunity.

   Here’s a hint Conroy; If you want the US to like us, and take us seriously, don’t make us out to be like China. Just sayin’.

2. By Delimiter – Boyce queries Conroy, Smith on US filter concerns on 22/04/2010 at 12:47 pm

   [...] Clay’s statement that the US Government had “raised concerns on the matter” and a statement by Conroy’s office that the US State Department had “asked for, and received… The letters to Conroy and Smith are almost identical in [...]

3. Edward Metcalfe
   Posted 12/07/2010 at 10:38 am | Permalink | Reply

   You can tell its an election year.