Starting this July over 500 websites will be censored for Australian internet users. The country's two largest internet providers, Telstra and Optus have agreed to block access to the websites that have themes considered to be unsuitable by the Federal Government of Australia.

The plan was first proposed by the Federal Government last year in an effort to block all Refused Classification materials from internet providers as an additional service. The 9.8 million plan was scrapped due to limited interest but Telstra and Optus have agreed to block sites voluntarily.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority along with other unnamed international organizations will compile a list of child abuse websites to be blocked.

"The ACMA will compile and manage a list of URLs of child abuse content that will include the appropriate subsection of the ACMA blacklist as well as child abuse URLs that are provided by reputable international organizations (to be blocked)," a spokesman for the organization said.

Those opposing the scheme have argued that blocking these websites is merely saber rattling on the government's part. Criminals could still find ways to get access to questionable sites.

System Administrators Guild of Australia board member Donna Ashelford said that "The effectiveness will be trivial because you're just blocking a single website address (and) a person can get around it by changing that address with one character."

"Child abuse material is more likely to be exchanged on peer-to-peer networks and private networks anyway and is a matter for law enforcement."

Other parties against the scheme worry that the Government and internet providers could just block sites without any explanation and that website owners who had their sites blocked should have a means of appealing the decision.

"There is a question about where the links are coming from and I'd like to know the answer to that," Electronic Frontiers Association board member Colin Jacobs said.

"We've been waiting to hear details on this from the Government. It they turn out to be zealous with the type of material that is on the list then we'd want to have a discussion about ways to introduce more transparency."