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Originally Posted by Vce121  We have a little thing called freedom of speech. Dip shit. |
Not under Australian law :P
Free Speech and the Constitution Quote:
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The Australian Constitution does not have any express provision relating to freedom of speech. In theory, therefore, the Commonwealth Parliament may restrict or censor speech through censorship legislation or other laws, as long as they are otherwise within constitutional power. The Constitution consists mainly of provisions relating to the structure of the Commonwealth Parliament, executive government and the federal judicial system.(6) There is no list of personal rights or freedoms which may be enforced in the courts. There are however some provisions relating to personal rights such as the right to trial by jury (section 80), and the right to freedom of religion (section 116).
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Free Speech & Defamation Quote:
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In Australia there is no explicit legal protection of freedom of speech. The most commonly understood notion of freedom of speech derives from the United States where the First Amendment to the Bill of Rights reads, 'Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press...' Some argue that freedom of speech in Australia exists to the extent that there is no law restricting it. However in the absence of a positive right to freedom of speech there is little protection against censorship on the part of government or other interests.
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Yeah not that relevant to this discussion, but it seems to be a common misconception in Australia