In bad news for Aussie pirates, the government's site blocking bill became law Monday after a marathon hearing in the senate.

Despite the best efforts of two senators, Greens Sen. Scott Ludlam and Liberal Democrats Sen. David Leyonhjelm, the Copyright Amendment (Online Infringement) Bill passed after the Labor and Liberal Parties joined forces to support the law.

The bill, which aims to block Australian access to foreign websites that facilitate copyright infringement, has been roundly criticised by consumer advocates and Internet companies such as Google, after it was introduced in March. On Monday, Ludlum called the bill "lazy and dangerous."

"There is increasing evidence to suggest that site-blocking is not the most effective means of stopping piracy," he said.

How does it work?

Owners of content, including film and music, will now be able to apply to the Federal Court for an injunction against foreign websites, such as Pirate Bay, whose "primary purpose" is facilitating copyright infringement. If successful, the injunction would force Internet service providers (ISPs) like Telstra or Optus to block the site.

I can just use a VPN to reach blocked sites, right?

The government said virtual private network services (VPNs) that help people browse the Internet anonymously are not intended to be targeted under the bill, but Ludlum and others are not so sure.

In submissions to government, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, among others, expressed concern over the bill's broad language, saying it could be used to potentially shut down foreign-based VPNs.

What's the point of all this?

It depends on who you ask.

The government and content providers, such as film company Village Roadshow, say the bill is necessary to protect creative industries from loss of revenue due to illegal downloads. "Not only is piracy theft and therefore morally wrong, it is harmful to Australia’s creative communities and to businesses that employ hundreds of thousands of Australians," Foxtel CEO Richard Freudenstein said in a statement Monday.

On the other side, critics have accused the government of bowing to corporate interests. Last year, ZDNet found that Village Roadshow had donated A$329,919 to the Liberal Party and A$227,500 to the Labor Party in the 2013-14 financial year. Likewise, reports showed that Australia's Attorney-General George Brandis, whose department is responsible for the bill, did not officially meet with any consumer or ISP representatives when writing the law. He did, however, meet with the Australian Recording Industry Association, Foxtel, Village Roadshow and others.

Corporate interests found "a pushover of an attorney-general and an opposition that is too weak to take up the fight," Ludlum said Monday.

Will it work?

Maybe, but probably not. If people want to pirate content, they'll find a way. As Ludlum and others have pointed out repeatedly, the best way to reduce piracy is to deliver content in a timely, affordable fashion.

Suffering for many years under the Australia tax, the above-global-average price that content providers have historically charged Australians for films, television and music, among other products, Aussies are well-versed in getting the content they want — often illegally.

After the first four episodes of Game of Thrones leaked online, for example, Australia was responsible for the most illegal downloads per capita worldwide, despite the show being available on local pay TV channel Foxtel.

There are also fears the bill could have unintended consequences for Aussie Internet users. While Labor Sen. Jacinta Collins said Monday the bill should only impact sites that are the "worst of the worst," some have expressed concern that it could also be used to take legitimate sites offline. Leyonhjelm said Monday the bill contained inadequate protections for freedom of speech, warning that legitimate content could also be blocked.

What's next?

We'll find out in the courts. Matthew Rimmer, associate professor at Australian National University's College of Law told Mashable Australia that the law "will be a lawyer's picnic and a judicial nightmare."

While copyright litigants will target torrent sites, he also anticipates that copyright trolls will run amok, using this new power to threaten a range of foreign websites. He said even sporting bodies like Rugby Union could bring an action under the law against an emerging technology, such as Periscope, which allows users to live stream sporting events for which such entities own the broadcast rights.

In short, 2015 will be a bad year to be a pirate.