ALP Response

Please monitor the ALP website at http://www.alp.org.au for further information.

1. What is your party's commitment to supporting Australians access to information through libraries, particularly public libraries? Will you support, for example funding for the purchase of quality digital content for all Australians (such as the Electronic Resources Australia project and a national digitisation program.

Labor's platform indicates our belief that Commonwealth, State, Territory and local governments should end the blame game and cooperate to ensure that regional and local libraries can provide effective and equitable access to literature and information,including through modern technology.

At a time when media and information technology is undergoing a process of major change, driven by digitisation, convergence of technology and the globalisation of broadcasting, communications and information technologies, Labor remains strongly committed to longstanding national and public interest objectives, including:

• genuine diversity of sources of information, opinion, education and entertainment;
• greater choice and accessibility for consumers; and
• the development of, and equitable access to, new technologies.

2. What is your party's position on copyright?

As you know, in 2006, substantial amendments were introduced to the Copyright Act. At the time, Labor criticised the manner in which that Bill had been handled, as it did not submit the Bill to a proper public consultation process through the Senate Committee system. Labor also moved a second reading amendment criticising the Bill in greater detail.

At this stage, Labor does not have any plans to amend the Copyright Act. However, we are interested in maintaining a continuing dialogue with stakeholders in this issue to ensure that Australia's copyright law regime operates efficiently and effectively.

3. What is your party's position of ensuring free public access to government information, particularly government publications and e-government services?

It is imperative that people should have access to and confidence in their national governments. Labor believes this can only be achieved if governments are truly accountable to parliament and the electorate. To this end, Labor will harness the power of the internet by making government documents more accessible online.

In addition, a Rudd Labor Government will promote transparency and open government through improved freedom of information legislation. Conclusive certificates will be abolished and internal working documents that do not compromise national security will be accessible. Reports on the operation of government and government-funded agencies will be regularly tabled in parliament.

Labor will ensure that the costs involved in using freedom of information procedures do not put them out of reach of the community. Labor will ensure that considerations relating to outsourcing, privatisation, notions of commercial confidentiality and corporatisation are not used as excuses to allow government and government-funded agencies to escape the requirements of open government and accountability.

Labor will ensure that the provision of public services by the private sector does not diminish the rights of Australians to freedom of information and administrative review or judicial challenge.

4. What is your party's position on Internet filtering and libraries?

Labor believes that the Government should do all that it can to protect Australians, and particularly, Australian children from harmful and inappropriate internet content.

To this end, in March 2006, Labor announced its ISP filtering policy. Labor's ISP filtering policy will require Internet Service Providers to block access to websites thatare listed as by ACMA as containing prohibited content such as child pornography, acts of extreme violence and X-rated material.

ISP filtering under a Rudd Labor government will be applied to all households (unless they choose to opt-out), schools and public internet points accessible by children, such as libraries.

5. Workforce planning and education are critical to ensuring libraries are able to be staffed by qualified individuals - has your party a policy on education and workforce development that will enable this to occur?

Ensuring Australia's workforce is skilled and qualified will be a top priority for a Rudd Labor Government.

Librarians play an important role in promoting the importance of literacy and in fostering greater information literacy skills in schools, communities and businesses. In an age where we are dealing with information on an unprecedented digital scale it is particularly important to ensure librarians and information professionals are properly qualified to assist Australians in accessing and interpreting this information.

To be the best trained and best skilled workforce in the world, we must do more to encourage greater professional development, mentoring and induction, particularly in education, including librarians.