It was 'shelved' as a policy prior to the last Federal election, but now the Australian Government has finally publicly abandoned its quite stupid policy of implementing compulsory internet filtering. I have been a quite vocal opponent of the policy since its announcement in 2008, and am not surprised by this backdown.

Since Julia Gillard's toppling of Kevin Rudd, following the 2010 election the implementation of the filter was never going to happen. Poll after poll showed its unpopularity, and internet experts and technology industry insiders' continuous criticism on whether it could be practically implemented, let alone be effective in its aims, all meant that it was never going to get off the ground.

Hopefully now the government can put all this type of garbage policy behind them (including the proposed ridiculous ISP data retention requirements), and move on with the things like the NBN that will actually make a positive difference in our everyday lives and the economy.