The Presbyterian Church of Australia has taken an uncompromising position on abuse of the Internet, coming out in support of the Federal Government’s proposal to filter internet sites featuring explicit x-rated pornographic material, preventing their inadvertent and unrestricted viewing by internet users.

Church leaders from throughout the country have added their signatures to a letter to the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, encouraging the Government to introduce ISP-level filtering.

In the letter, which has received a reply, the Presbyterian Church acknowledged the financial cost to the Government of such a policy, but said it believed any cost was outweighed by the potential saving of lives from moral corruption and sexual violence/abuse caused by the viewing of such material.

“We recognize the high efficiency and effectiveness of today’s filtering methods and note the relative ease of their operation as factors supportive of its implementation,” the Church said. “We assert that a wide cross-section of Australians, whether Christians or not, would join us in applauding this initiative. We believe that arguments comparing the government’s proposal to Chinese-style censorship are frivolous since it is only the most objectionable images which it is proposed to filter.”

Signatories included:  PCA Moderator General, Rt Rev Robert Benn; Queensland Moderator Rt Rev John Gilmour, Tasmanian Moderator Rt Rev David Jones, NSW Moderator Rt Rev Bruce Meller, Victorian Moderator Rt Rev Douglas Robertson, Western Australia Church and Nation Committee Convener Rev Ross Fraser, NSW Church and Nation Committee Convener Rev Peter Greiner, Victorian Church and Nation Committee Convener Rev David Palmer, Queensland Church and Nation Committee Convener Rev Les Percy, South Australia and Australian Church and Nation Committee Convener Rev Stefan Slucki and Tasmanian Church and Nation Committee Convener Rev Rod Waterhouse.