Mandatory data retention legislation that costs over $300 million dollars to implement, and around 15 cents a day to circumvent, was due to come into effect today, but most Internet Service Providers have not received a response from the Attorney-General's Department about the plans they were required to submit, Australian Greens Deputy Leader and Communications Spokesperson Senator Scott Ludlam said today.

The Greens have today marked George Orwell's birthday, noting his seminal work, 1984, and its considerable value to policy makers within the Abbott government.

"When Mr Orwell penned 1984, he can scarcely have imagined that all these years later it would be such a foundational inspiration for government lawmaking on privacy, anonymity and free speech," Senator Scott Ludlam said today.

Parliament has begun debating a controversial website blocking regime at the behest of foreign rights holders and lobbyists who have collectively donated millions of dollars to the Liberal and Labor parties.

"This is a lazy and dangerous piece of legislation, and it wouldn't be happening if the Opposition hadn't gone completely missing," Senator Scott Ludlam, Australian Greens communication spokesperson said today.

The Government and ‘Opposition' today used their combined numbers to vote down a senate motion acknowledging a key US legal finding that mass-collection of telecommunications records was unlawful.

The motion was moved by Australian Greens communications spokesperson Senator Scott Ludlam.

"This motion called on the Senate, which just months ago passed a data retention scheme, to acknowledge the reality that the US Court of Appeals has ruled the bulk collection of telecommunications metadata by US Government agencies to be unlawful," Senator Ludlam said today.

The Australian Greens said today that the government's metadata regime would make it easier for companies to embark on speculative invoicing attacks against Australians who are suspected of downloading movies in breach of copyright.

"The Federal Court decision today, that will see the names and residential addresses of around 4700 alleged copyright infringers handed to a US company, is likely to be the first of many," Senator Scott Ludlam, Australian Greens communication spokesperson said today.

"Copyright laws exist for a reason and they should not be infringed upon.

The Australian Greens have called on the government to fast-track the implementation of a scheme to mandate notifications of data breaches, as the international community reacts to news that the personal information of 31 world leaders was compromised by the immigration department.

"This is an embarrassing international incident which highlights that no system is infallible," Senator Scott Ludlam, Greens communication spokesperson said today.

The Australian Greens have condemned an Abbott/Shorten unity ticket that has passed data retention laws through federal parliament this afternoon.

“The ALP has caved in to Tony Abbott's self-interested fear campaign and supported a bill that entrenches a form of passive mass surveillance over 23 million Australians," Senator Scott Ludlam, Australian Greens communications spokesperson said following the vote. 

“The ALP will be judged for that, and we will ensure that people never forget who made this possible.