Joe’s Views and Commentary

On 11th. May I have pleaded for repeal of racial and villification law.On reading today’s article in the Herald-Sun it appears there are more crazy laws that need to be repealed. It seems to me that we live in a crazy world and our existence on this planet is being made more and more difficult by our politicians!

For those who didn’t read the article and wonder what is all the fuss about let me tell you. It appears that police refused a request under the FoI Act to release a criminal record of a man suspected of brutal murder of two sisters. The man was later shot dead in W.A. by a policeman whom he attacked.

Now it gets better. The refusal to release the criminal history was given because the man is dead and therefore cannot give the permission to release “such personal information”. Did we now reach the stage when a criminal or alledged criminal would be asked for his kind permission to publish any records about himself? Would such permission be ever given?

If there is a law that needs to be repealed it is this non-sensical Privacy Act that dates back to 1982. Politicians are after all, human beings. They make mistakes like everyone else. Once it is found that the law they pass with good intentions many years ago is not appropriate at present, due to changed circumstances, they should be willing to take it off the statute book.

To have such law that allows criminals to dictate terms even from their graves is not acceptable. In fact it puts the judicial system and people whose task is to administer it look silly. I appeal to our legal gurus, Peter Faris Q.C. Mirko Bagaric and Herald-Sun columist Andrew Bolt to use their excellent skills to argue this case.

11.5.06

Russell Savage is dead right! In his article (Herald-Sun 11.5.) he called for repeal of this silly law on racial and religious vilification. How this piece of legislation has ever managed to get onto our statute books, defies common sense. We are constantly being told that we live in a democracy. However the fundamental pillar of a democracy is a free speech. You loose the right of free speech and you are on the way to dictatorship. It is a shame that this law was steamrolled through Victorian Parliament and it is a credit to Russell Savage for opposing it.

There is no need for it. Yet our Attorney General in spite of wide opposition of churches and public got his way. The theory behind it seems to be. If you keep your mouth shut, you will not be harmed under this law. This is precisely what happened in Nazi Germany and Communist countries. You were a free man provided you didn’t criticise the regime, no harm would be done to you. I know, I lived under both systems!

I feel that the Liberal Party should make it clear that when elected to Government this law would be repealed. It makes me wonder why the politically correct mob found it necessary to pass such legislation in the first place. What they have to hide? What are they afraid off? Free speech?