5 things we need to do right now to help stop internet censorship:

1) Talk to your friends, family and workmates.

Mention to them that the planned Internet censorship is:

a) Censorship
b) Expensive
c) Not going to work.

It’s definitely worth having a look at this article by “Liberal Hack” Tim Andrews who gives some advice on how to reach people who don’t already agree with us that censorship is a bad idea.

2) Talk to people online.

Talk about Internet censorship on Twitter, Facebook or your own blogs. Create artwork we can use in the campaign, or make YouTube videos against censorship. Spread the word online any way you can. If you don’t write articles, nor make art or videos, spread what other people have done. Some things you can pass on are Mike Fitzsimon’s anti-censorship cartoons or Michael Meloni’s great website The Gift Of Censorship. You can also add ideas or get new ideas from the Stop Internet Censorship wiki.

Here’s an example of a video blog that Dave Jones posted to his blog and to YouTube:

If you keep on following this blog, or join our group on Facebook, we’ll keep in touch with you and let you know what we plan to do.

3) Write to your Senators.

The Labor Government has a majority in the Lower House, but NOT in the Senate, which means if enough Senators vote against this censorship plan, it will be stopped.

Make your letter original, and it’s better to hand-write it and send it in an envelope. But remember the three points above – this is censorship, it’s expensive, and it’s ineffective – it won’t stop one single child abuser.

Here’s a great example of a letter someone wrote to their local MP – don’t just copy it, but you might get inspiired by it.

There is a list of Senators for each state here. Some Senators who are important even if they aren’t in your state are:

Greens Senator Scott Ludlam, who has consistently questioned the Government’s internet censorship plan.

Liberal Senator Simon Birmingham, who has already attended a Stop Internet Censorship meeting in Adelaide.

Senator Nick Minchin, the former Liberal Communications policy spokesman. When he was the spokesman for the Liberals he was firmly against Internet censorship.

Independent Senator Nick Xenophon. If the Liberals stand firm against the censorship plan, the Government needs Senator Xenophon’s vote to get it passed.

Kate Lundy, an ALP Senator who doesn’t like the censorship plan but won’t say much in public. With the right arguments she might speak out against the plan inside the ALP though.

It’s also well worth writing to Tony Smith, the current Liberal spokesman on Communications, and Michael Johnson, a Liberal MP who has spoken out against the censorship plan.

It can also be a good idea to write to your local Lower House MP. Even though the Lower House will almost certainly pass the plan, your MP might have doubts in private and that might change what happens when they speak out in meetings of their political party. If you don’t know your local MP, click here to search for them.

4) Sign your website up to The Great Australian Internet Blackout, and convince any other sites you’re involved with to do the same.

5) We’ll have some leaflets ready for you to print off before long. Print off a couple of hundred wherever you can get access to a photocopier and drop them in letterboxes in your local area.