Dear [name of Candidate],

I am an elector in the seat of [your seat] and I am writing to seek information on your views on technology prior to the forthcoming federal election. I have recenltly become concerned over the lack of knowledge of our political leaders in this area and so I am looking to gain information on candidates in my local electorate in order to better make a decision on polling day. Would it be possible for you or soemone on your staff to answer the questions below? The questions have been taken from the website http://makingyourmindup.yellek.org and I propose to publish your responses there also. A number of other people have volunteered to do the same for other electorates. The questions are as follows:

  1. Mac or PC?
  2. What web browser do you use?
  3. What social networking sites do you or your staff use (Facebook, Twitter, Others) and where can we find you on those sites?
  4. Do you have a blog and if so what is the address?
  5. In your opinion, what is the role of the internet in the Australian political process?
  6. Tell us about your party's policies that will impact the use of technology in Australia.

Can you also tell us what you or your party's opinion is on the following policies/issues:

Mandatory Internet Filtering

The Australian Federal Government has proposed that ISPs be required to filter and remove access to websites on a blacklist that will be created by the government. The blacklist will contain material that has been "refused classification" and will be secret. The filter will not affect pornography that has not been "refused classification" or high traffic websites.

Web Browsing Data Retention Proposal

The Australian Attorney General has proposed that companies providing internet access be required to log and retain customer's private web browsing history for a certain period of time, for law enforcement to access when needed.

Personally Controlled Electronic Health Records

The federal government allocated $466.7 million over 2 years to support the development of a personally controlled electronic health record.

Open Access to Government Data

The Australian Federal Government collects a huge amount of aggregated data on Australia and Australians. This data should be made freely and easily available in open formats to allow consumers to use it in innovative ways (subject to reasonable privacy concerns).

Net Neutrality

Internet providers should not be able to preference traffic from different sources for commercial gain. There should be no restrictions by Internet Service Providers and governments on content, sites, platforms, on the kinds of equipment that may be attached, and no restrictions on the modes of communication allowed.

Computer Funding for Schools

It should be the responsibility of the Federal government to provide the funding to ensure all students in Australia have access to modern computer technology on a regular basis.

National Broadband Network

The Australian Federal labor Government has started to roll out a national broadband network with the investment of $43 billion over 5 years. The Government’s objective is to connect 90% of Australian homes and workplaces to an optical fibre network.

Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement

The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) is a proposed plurilateral agreement for establishing international standards on intellectual property rights enforcement. ACTA would establish a new international legal framework that countries can join on a voluntary basis and would create its own governing body outside existing international institutions such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) or the United Nations.