http://www.thepunch.com.au/author-bios/stephen-conroy/ Senator the Hon Stephen Conroy was appointed Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy in December 2007. He is also Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate. Stephen has a broad range of portfolio responsibilities, not least the National Broadband Network—the largest nation-building infrastructure project in Australian history, and the enabling foundation for our digital economy. Other responsibilities include Australia’s digital television switchover, our national broadcasters the ABC and SBS, media policy, community broadcasting, e-security and cyber-safety, radiofrequency spectrum and Australia Post, among other things. Passionate about media and communications and about engaging with industry to foster innovation and growth, Stephen has had active involvement in the communications portfolio since November 2001—first as Senate representative for shadow communications spokesman Lindsay Tanner and then as shadow communications minister until the November 2007 federal election. Stephen was appointed as a Senator for Victoria for the Australian Labor Party in 1996. Previously he was an industrial officer and superannuation officer for the Transport Workers Union Victorian Branch from 1992 to 1996, a ministerial adviser to Victoria’s Minister for Industry from 1990 to 1992 and an assistant adviser to the Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1988 to 1990. From 1986 to 1987, Stephen was an electorate officer for the Federal Member for Canberra, consultant to the Minister for Science and Minister assisting the Minister for Industry, Technology and Commerce and electorate officer for the Minister for Home Affairs. He worked for the Metal Trades Industry Association from 1984 to 1986. en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/heres-why-we-need-to-split-telstra/ The reintroduction of the Competition and Consumer Safeguards Bill is a key step towards delivering a vibrant and competitive telecommunications sector. It is in the interests of all Australians. The Gillard Government is committed to addressing the mistakes of the past and establishing an effective and efficient telecommunications regulatory framework. Reforms outlined in the Bill include restructuring the market to promote greater competition and strengthening consumer safeguard measures such as Customer Service Guarantee and the Universal Service Obligation. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Stephen Conroy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/heres-why-we-need-to-split-telstra/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/heres-why-we-need-to-split-telstra/#item4295 Wed, 20 Oct 2010 19:45:42 +0000 Stephen Conroy | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/dont-believe-the-myths-on-the-isp-filter/ There is a lot of misinformation circulating about the Government’s ISP-level filtering proposal and Eliza Cussen was right to warn people they shouldn’t believe everything they hear or read (Top Ten Internet Filter Lies, 25 March 2010). Unfortunately her article repeated some of the misinformation and I’d like to outline the facts. The Government has always maintained there is no silver bullet when it comes to cyber safety and we have never said ISP-level filtering alone would help fight child pornography or keep children safe online. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Stephen Conroy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/dont-believe-the-myths-on-the-isp-filter/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/dont-believe-the-myths-on-the-isp-filter/#item2779 Tue, 06 Apr 2010 20:00:16 +0000 Stephen Conroy | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-truth-about-net-filtering/ As we expected, there has been considerable online discussion about our announcement to introduce ISP-level filtering. For those who missed it, the Government announced legislation that will require Australian Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to block web pages that under the National Classification System are rated RC (Refused Classification). RC-rated material includes child sex abuse content, bestiality, sexual violence including rape and the detailed instruction of crime or drug use. The Government has always maintained there is no silver-bullet solution to cyber-safety and this new measure is one part of a comprehensive suite to address the range of challenges online. For example, we have funded 91 Australian Federal Police officers to the Child Protection Operations Team, as well as extensive education programs for parents, teachers and children. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Stephen Conroy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-truth-about-net-filtering/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-truth-about-net-filtering/#item2015 Wed, 16 Dec 2009 20:00:11 +0000 Stephen Conroy | Author bios | The Punch