Education department reviews school computer block on pro and anti-live export websites
WA’s education department is reviewing its content filtering system after reports the ‘Keep the Sheep’ advocacy website is blocked on state school computers.
The Keep the Sheep website was set up to lobby against the federal government’s decision to ban live exports by 2028 and invites readers to sign a petition against the ban or donate to the cause.
Teachers and students were unable to access the website in some WA schools. (Supplied)
A Great Southern high school student told the ABC his attempts to visit the website for a school project on Australian politics were blocked by a firewall.
“I went on the school computer and none of the websites worked,” he wrote.
The high school student said access was also denied to the ‘Keep the Sheep Here’ website, which promotes the federal government’s impending ban on live sheep exports.
The Keep the Sheep campaign was started in response to the federal governments ban on live sheep export. (ABC Great Southern: Mark Bennett)
In a statement, the WA Education Department said the Keep the Sheep website was automatically categorised by its content filtering service.
A spokeswoman said it was reviewing the matter.
The ABC has contacted the new Education Minister, Sabine Winton, for comment.
Screenshots provided to the ABC suggest the WA Education Department’s content filtering service blocked the website on the grounds that it was an advocacy organisation.
Farmers call ‘censorship’
Kulin sheep shearer Shane Argent, who is an active supporter of the Keep the Sheep campaign, said “alarm bells went off” when the issue was raised with him several times, including from students attending WA’s agricultural colleges.
“I’m not a believer in banning things, that’s censorship and that’s not the Australia we live in,”
he said.
Shane Argent (left) and Barnaby Joyce are supporters of keeping the live sheep trade going. (Supplied: Shane Argent)
WA Farmers resident John Hassell said he did not understand why the Keep the Sheep website was blocked and some other animal welfare-related sites were not.
“I think it’s appropriate for children to be consuming political content — it’s a part of our everyday lives,” he said.
“You hear it on the news all the time, why should they be blocked from it in the Education Department?”
Former South West WA principal Craige Pettit worked for the WA Education Department for more that 40 years.
He said students were often assessed on their ability to do research and asked to present a balanced view of public issues.
“The curriculum says investigate these things yet it has been cut off for kids to have a look at,” Mr Pettit said.
“When there’s an election it’s an ideal time for teachers to talk about elections … teachers have to be very careful that they don’t present their own points of view, but they need to open the world up to kids to explore all the points of views.”
The federal government has said the export of live sheep by sea would end in May 2028. (ABC Great Southern: Mark Bennett)
Activists want unblocking
The Alliance for Animals, which represents Australian animal activist organisations, has backed calls for the websites to be unblocked.
Director of Policy and Government Relations Jed Goodfellow said while he did not support the industry’s views on live sheep exports, people had the right to express their opinion.
“The blocking of legitimate websites, whether it was inadvertent or not, is a concern and should be corrected.“
