I just don't know what to say anymore. As an Australian, I am ashamed and baffled at the way my government has been handling Internet policy lately.<p>Their treatment of the issues betrays a astounding naivety that I find of increasing concern. On the face of it, it's always for a good cause... won't somebody think of the children! We need to censor all the bad sites on the Internet! Some guy feels slighted by a racial slur on some website that no one takes seriously! We must ban it from Google! We can't be seen to be endorsing racism!<p>The sentiment is always admirable but the reaction betrays an complete misunderstanding of both the online culture and the technological infrastructure that supports it.<p>The sad thing is I know first hand that there are people in the Australian Government who can and do give better advice that should ostensibly lead to better government decisions in the online space. It just seems like their voices are being disregarded. I suspect the main reasons for this are:<p>a) Certain politicians refusal to accept that the reality of the Internet does not fit their limited understanding of it.<p>b) Politician's desire to use the Internet as a political football.<p>Perhaps it really is time to move to Estonia.