Electronic Frontiers Australia (EFA) today expressed its disappointment at the Federal Government's decision to fund its mandatory "clean-feed" Internet in the 2008-09 federal budget.

"At a time when the Government is cutting services to fight inflation, it's bewildering that they would decide to spend tens of millions of taxpayer dollars on a filter before feasibility trials are even complete," said EFA spokesman Colin Jacobs. "Given the manifest impracticality of the clean-feed scheme, I'm sure this money could have been put to much better use," he added.

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EFA today lodged a submission with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), opposing a recently announced plan by online auction site eBay to require all Australian buyers and sellers to use PayPal for eBay purchases in most circumstances.

Many eBay buyers and sellers have very valid reasons for preferring not to use PayPal.  Their choice of payment method should not be overridden by eBay in the name of commercial expediency or increased profits.

EFA believes that eBay's proposed changes are without any substantive public benefits, and that any public benefits that may result would be outweighed by the harm to competition and consumers resulting from the changes.  EFA further believes that eBay's proposed changes may constitute a misuse of market power, contrary to s 46(1) of the Trade Practices Act 1974.