Iarla Flynn, the Head of Policy for Google Australia and New Zealand, has a piece in The Punch today on Google’s position on the filter:

At Google, we value free expression. While we recognise that protecting the free exchange of ideas and information cannot be without some limits, we believe that more information generally means more choice, more freedom and ultimately more power for the individual.

A recent global survey from the BBC found that many people around the world (including 85% of Australians) believe that Internet access should be a fundamental right. It would be a travesty if this openness was lost. But every day around the world, more and more governments are restricting access to information online. The trend is alarming.

The mandatory ISP filtering proposal is a threat to the open Internet. It could block access to important online information, could confer legitimacy upon censorship by other Governments, and robs Australians of the opportunity to make some vital choices in their lives.

Read the rest of the piece here. And you can read about Google’s concerns in more details in its transparency and accountability submission here.