Yesterday I had the unusual experience of actually feeling empathy for Australian Parliamentarians.

After years of watching their antics from afar with increasing disgust, outraged iter alia at what they do and don’t do to preserve the civil liberties, free speech and internet access of ordinary Australians -  it dawned on me these people are actually treated like bigger idiots than we are.

It must be bad for the morale of Senators and MPs – and probably reduces their IQ. I know if I ever lack access to an unrestricted internet connection for any length of time, I find myself feeling more stupid – as it leaves me unable to double-check disinformation churned out by so-called journalists working for the bought-and-paid-for mass media.

Here’s what happened. I was in the process of hassling some members of Parliament via Twitter and email on a foreign policy issue. I do this from time to time. While it rarely (if ever) achieves any noticable results – it’s a form of therapy for me – and moral insurance. At least I’ll be able to look any grandchildren in the eye and tell them I did try to stop the world going to hell in a hand-basket.

On this occasion, one of them actually communicated back – and mentioned my website (this website) isn’t viewable in Parliament House. I decided to find out why.

I phoned the Parliamentary Webmaster, who in turn referred me to David Kenny, Acting Secretary of the Department of Parliamentary Services. I sent him an email. The resulting correspondence is brief and self-explanatory, so I’ll reproduce it here:

1 Syd Walker to David Kenny

Dear Mr Kenny
Acting Parliamentary Secretary
Department of Parliamentary Services

I live in far north Queensland, a long distance from the major political hubs of Australia, so when I contact Federal politicians it’s almost always via the internet. Occasionally I link to pages on my website which saves me the trouble of repeating already published material in my correspondence.

Today, for the second time, I’ve been informed that my website isn’t visible via a Parliament House computer. When this was first mentioned some time ago I assumed it must be a temporary glitch. However, having received the same advice I decided to call the Parliamentary Webmanager.

She was helpful, although rather surprised by my inquiry. She assured me that while Parliament staff use “filtered” computers, there’s no such block/filter on the computers of Parliamentarians, who should therefore be able to view any website. I then provided her with the URL of my site – www.sydwalker.info. This seemed to trigger her memory and she informed me that ALL websites with a .info suffix are blocked. She thought it was a spam prevention measure.

She was unable to answer further questions and referred me to you. Could you please let me know:

1/ Is there indeed a block within the Parliament House computer system on all domains with a .info suffix?

2/ If so…
(a) how long has it been in place?
(b) what is its rationale?
(c) Have Parliamentarians and/or the public been nformed about the block?
(d) are there steps underway to ensure that bona fide sites such as my own are removed from the block? (my own website content is mainly poltical; the site contains no pornography and I do not use the domain to send spam emails)
(e) when can I anticipate the block will be removed?

3/ If not, what is the explanation for my website being blocked and can I in any event be assured the block will be lifted promptly?

4/ Apart from .info suffix websites, are there blocks on other websites, or classes of website, that limit Australia’s Federal Parliamentarians’ ability to view material via the internet?

Incidentally, while I appreciate filtering of websites elsewhere is not within your purview, I’ve been told in the past that my website isn’t available from within the offices of at least one state bureaucracy in Australia. Are government IT managers in this country filter-happy?

I’m copying this email to a few internet-savvy Parliamentarians in the major parties represented in Parliament House, in case they are currently unaware of the existence of a Parliament House block and wish to take up the matter with you directly

Regards

Syd Walker

2/ David Kenny to Syd Walker

Syd

Generally, access to .info sites from the parliamentary computing network (PCN) is blocked.  This is done for security reasons.  Access to a specific .info site is enabled upon request, on a case by case basis.

Access to your sydwalker site from the PCN has now been enabled.

David Kenny

3/ Syd Walker to David Kenny

Dear Mr Kenny

Many thanks for your prompt respnse and for re-enabling access to my website from within Parliament House.

I take it that other .INFO websites shall remain blocked? How long has this block been in place? Have all MPs/Senators been informed?

It seems to me a very clumsy way of reducing spam – rather like blocking all telephone calls to and from the UK because some of them are of a criminal nature.

Do you block Parliamentarians’ access to other broad categories of websites in similar fashion?

I do think Parlimantarians should be informed if they are denied access to large numbers of websites (or any websites, for that matter). Does that happen? Or is it left to a chance discovery such as this before black-listed websites are unblocked?

As these topics are of some public and Parliamentary interest I look forward to a more complete response.

Regards

Syd Walker

4/ David Kenny to Syd Walker (2)

Syd

IT sites are blocked for security reasons – including related to threats other than spam.

Requests for access are responded to on a case by case basis.

I do not propose to go into further details about operational IT security matters.

David Kenny

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So there we have it. I may be thick-skinned, but I can tell when a bureaucrat is (politely) telling me to piss off and mind my own business.

It’s true concerns have been expressed over the years about the amount of spam generated from some .INFO websites. Tech guru Chris Pirillo opined years ago that .INFO domains are “dead” – although as you’ll see from comments below his article, that view isn’t shared by many. Spain.info, for example, is used by the Spanish Tourist Board. Then there’s Sieve.info – used to promote a computer language used for filtering e-mail messages…

But no – in Australia’s Parliament House – Big Brother knows best. He filters – and if a pesky little nation like Spain wants to complain, it can apply (as I did) for a special exemption…

Is anything else (apart from .INFO websites) being filtered in Parliament House? Who knows? That information, apparently, is an “operational security matter”. Start telling the riff-raff what’s currently blocked and who knows – we might find a way of smuggling nano-terrorists into the portals of power, disguised as innocent electrons.

I advise everyone who has a website to email Mr Kenny and ask if your site is currently blocked in Parliament House. You’ll never know until you ask. His email address is david.kenny@aph.gov.au (but PLEASE – don’t send him SPAM!)

Oh – and if you want a busy desk job in Australia’s public service, I suggest applying to the Department of Parliamentary Services. Something tells me they’ll be taking on plenty of new staff – rather soon

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UPDATE: 2nd Feb 2012

Since publishing this article a few hours ago, a couple of relevant pieces of information have been brought to my attention.

First, according to a IT expert whom I respect, there is absolutely no need to block viewing access to a website in order to block emails sent from that domain. The blocking process is separate. Hence for IT managers to block viewing access to websites. claiming it’s done for spam prevention. suggests they’re grossly incompetent – not telling the truth – or both.

Second, the article above may not make it clear that – as far as I can tell – most MPs and Senators are simply unaware their web access in Parliament House is “filtered”. There’s no evidence know of that any of them are told that some websites are blocked – or informed which sites are blocked and why. I’d thought that was implicit in what I’d written, but perhaps it needs to be spelled out more clearly.

I urge Australians to write to their own MPs/Senators and bring this subject to their attention. Please feel free to post comments to this article so we can share information about who knows what – and what, if anything, our Parliamentarians are doing to restore their own civil liberties!