The Australian Government for the first time since their election may be considering optional internet censorship, the original policy they were elected on.

Australian Minister for Censorship Stephen Conroy today (Tuesday local time) told a Senate estimates committee that the “Great Firewall of Australia” could be implemented by a voluntary industry code, as opposed to legislation.

The implication from Conroy is that the same outcome can be done via an industry code, but more likely that the Australian Government doesn’t have the numbers in the Senate to pass the enabling Legislation. The current Australian Government does not hold a majority in the Senate (the upper house), and relies on the votes of the Green Party, and a number of independent senators. So far, the Greens, and the Independent Senators have expressed serious reservations on the proposed fascist state censorship proposal.

Senator Conroy told the Senate Committee: “Mandatory ISP filtering would conceivably involve legislation … voluntary is available currently to ISPs…One option is potentially legislation. One other option is that it could be (on a) voluntary basis that they (ISPs) could voluntarily agree to introduce it.”

There is no concrete evidence that the Australian Government is backing down from its China inspired censorship regime outside of Conroy’s words.. The current ISP trial continues.