Is the list of banned sites available?
The Department of Internal Affairs has refused to release the list of banned sites. They claim that they are allowed to do so under section 6 (c) of the Official Information Act. This allows them to refuse on the grounds that the release would be “likely to prejudice the maintenance of the law, including the prevention, investigation, and detection of offences, and the right to a fair trial”. This can be contrasted with the legal responsibility that the Chief Censor has to publish their decisions to ban films and publications. A complaint about this refusal has been sent to the Ombudsman who has taken it up with the Department of Internal Affairs. The Department of Internal Affairs has since deleted the records from the trial period. A complaint has been made to the Chief Archivist as this would seem contrary to the Public Records Act.
