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14 reasons why the filter is a bad idea |
Free speech is weakenedFree speech is an important part of a democratic society. It is important in the operation of the democracy itself i.e. to debate and discuss issues of policy but, perhaps more fundamentally, citizens are free to express whatever sentiments they like, even silly ones, as long as it does not unreasonably impact on others. Noone in a society has an unfettered right to free speech. By agreement within society, we already tolerate some restrictions on our right to free speech, for example, in defamation and libel laws. On the other hand, in a democracy we should start from the presumption of a right to free speech and only restrict in ways that can be justified. Chairman Krudd has made no argument at all that this dramatic expansion of the censorship regime is justified. Let there be no mistaking it. This is a dramatic expansion of the censorship regime. We should be quite clear as to what is happening here. This is a transfer of power from the citizen to the state, and it is unprecedented in Australian history. Your freedom of speech is worth fighting for. Censorship without justification is the approach of someone who simply wishes to suppress different points of view, rather than accepting it as a healthy part of a democratic society. Chairman Krudd's government has described the legal material that will be blocked by the filter as "unwanted". This illustrates the wide extent of the filter and its arbitrariness. What the hell does "unwanted" mean? That which is "unwanted" by one person may be "neutral" or "wanted" by another person – and "unwanted by the government" is a fast track to totalitarianism. The following famous quote seems appropriate in Chairman Krudd's Australia. First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. The time to speak out is NOW! If you are only ever politically active once in your entire life, this is the time! |