Debmirror error - balks when "?" in URL

[Zenaan Harkness <zenaan@freedbms.net>]

I recently changed ISP from Telstra to iiNet, and now debmirror balks
as follows:

The problem is the iiNet debian repo mirror URL is as follows:

 http://ftp.iinet.net.au/dir.php?debian
 http://ftp.iinet.net.au/dir.php?debian/dists/stretch

(note that dodgy as question mark in the URL) and so debmirror has a
spack:


 @ERROR: Unknown module 'dir.php?debian'


Here's the general form of my humble debmirror attempt:

$ /usr/bin/debmirror --nocleanup --nosource --verbose --progress \
 --allow-dist-rename --arch=amd64 --section=main --dist=stretch \
 --host=ftp.iinet.net.au \
 --method=http \
 --root=dir.php?debian \
 --diff=none --exclude-deb-section=games \
 --exclude='/Translation-.*$' \
 --include='/Translation-(en).*$' \
 --include='/Translation-en.*$' \
 /media/h500g/repos/debian/debian


Note, the relevant line of course is:
 --root=dir.php?debian \

and I've tried variants such as:

 --root="dir.php?debian" \
 --root='dir.php?debian' \
 '--root=dir.php?debian' \

yet each variant is not unique in its ability to cause the module
innards of debmirror to spuke.


If anyone knows how to modify this annoying URL such that debmirror
will humbly continue on its way, I would be much obliged.

Cheers,
Zenaan