Australia refuses to sign new ITRs

Following weeks of intense lobbying and aggressive debate at the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) in Dubai, Australia has announced that it will not sign a revised international telecommunications treaty, over threats to the openness of the internet.

The west including Australia largely faced off against countries like Russia who sought to exert more controls over the internet.

In announcing Australia’s position, Communications Minister Senator Conroy today said:

“Australia’s consistent position has been that the internet should not be included in the ITRs. This is a point on which we would not compromise. Australia does not support any changes that would undermine the current multi-stakeholder model for internet governance or fundamentally change the way the internet operates. Australia believes that the approach taken by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Numbers and Names (ICANN), which has input from industry stakeholders, governments and the public, remains the best way to sustain the internet’s growth and innovation. It remains Australia’s view that for the ITRs to be enduring and useful they should focus on the interconnection of international telecommunication networks.“