MINISTER for Communications Stephen Conroy has vowed to push on with his controversial internet filtering scheme, despite a barrage of criticism.

Senator Conroy told The Sun-Herald that internet advocacy groups such as GetUp! were ''deliberately misleading'' the Australian public about the scheme, which will refuse classification to illegal and socially unacceptable web pages. The legislation, which was expected to be passed before Parliament rises in June, has been delayed until the second half of the year while the government fine-tunes it.

The government's $128.8 million Cyber Safety policy includes forcing internet service providers to block access to a secret blacklist of website pages identified as ''refused classification'' by Australian government bureaucrats.

Web pages will be nominated for blacklisting by Australian internet users who come across illegal or ''unacceptable'' websites.

''This is a policy that will be going ahead,'' Senator Conroy said. ''We are still consulting on the final details of the scheme. But this policy has been approved by 85 per cent of Australian internet service providers, who have said they would welcome the filter, including Telstra, Optus, iPrimus and iinet.''