SA Internet censorship law looming

Attorney General Michael Atkinson recently presented a new censorship bill to the South Australian parliament which would criminalise the act of making information available online deemed unsuitable for minors.

Attorney General Michael Atkinson recently presented a new censorship bill to the South Australian parliament which would criminalise the act of making information available online deemed unsuitable for minors.

According to Electronic Frontiers Australia, the proposed law is essentially the same as one rejected earlier by the NSW Standing Committee on Social Issues.

The committee found that the proposed law did not 'strike the right balance between the need to protect children and the right of adults to communicate'. It also found that the law could have 'significant effect on... legitimate use of the Internet'. Most telling of all, it was found that the proposed law 'would be likely to restrict law-abiding content providers while doing little to deter those with malicious motives.' In short, the bill was restrictive, unfair and unworkable.

Not only would the new law criminalise the placement of content online deemed unsuitable for minors (regardless of where said content was placed, or whom its intended audience was), it would also allow the prosecution of content providers before said content was classified. Furthermore, material that would be made criminal by the bill if placed online, would be legal if transmitted via broadcast television.

More details about the bill, including actions you can take to stop the bill from becoming law, can be found on the EFA's Website.