Dr Robert Lang Parramatta City Council 30 Darcy Street Parramatta NSW 2124 4 February 2013 Dr Lang, Social Media

Blocking I am writing to inform you that Parramatta City Council recently blocked my account (@peterjhinton) on the popular social media service, Twitter. This action prevents me from (1) viewing and (2) responding to the official tweets of Parramatta City Council. This directly infringes on my constitutional right to engage in political discourse, which is seen as essential to the maintenance of democratic and responsible government. I request (1) that my access to Parramatta City Councils Twitter account (@parracity) be restored immediately and (2) I receive a written assurance that this access will be continued. In the case of Lange verses the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the High Court of Australia ruled that the Australian constitution contains an implied right to freedom of speech for the purposes of political communication. I am a ratepayer and resident of the Parramatta local government area. I participate in the election of Councilors and the ongoing debate over their suitability for public office. In 2013, much of this debate occurs online in social media spaces. Many of the comments made during public debate will not be favourable to Council, its staff or Councilors but I contend that this is neither unique to online environments nor justification for excluding a constituent from a debate forum. In blocking my Twitter account, Parramatta City Council has restricted my access to a debate forum and, therefore, impeded my ability to engage in public debate on local government matters. I view this as a breach of my constitutional right to freedom of political communication. I look forward to your response to the requests contained within this letter. Kind Regards,

Peter Hinton