Arts Industry Council Victoria

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Victorian State Election - read more

URGENT: SEDITION – Law Reform
Join the call to overturn Sedition Provisions

The Australian Law Reform Commission’s recommendations to remove the ill-conceived Sedition Provisions from the Anti-terrorism Act 2005 have been effectively dismissed by the Attorney General, Phillip Ruddock. He is yet to give a firm position on his response, if any.

As they stand, the sedition provisions seriously erode Freedom of Expression and contribute to a climate of fear and censorship. AIC(V) took a strong stand opposing those provisions in 2005 and welcomed the review conducted by the Law Reform Commission. It will be a disgrace if their report, and the articulated concerns of the arts industry, are to be ignored.

A meeting of arts organisations last week unanimously agreed to renew the campaign and have prepared a media release for arts and media organisations to sign.

Two options for action

An industry response and summary of the issues can be found on line at:
www.ozsedition.blogspot.com

Contact your Federal Members of Parliament
Please send an email or fax to as many Liberal and National Party MPs as you can, particularly Victorian Senators, even one or two if that is all the time you have. (Faxes are better).

The email addresses and fax numbers are at:
Senators
www.aph.gov.au/Senate/senators/homepages/si-party.htm
House of Representatives:
www.aph.gov.au/house/members/mi-party.asp
List of Victorian MHR:
www.aph.gov.au/house/members/mi-state.asp

MESSAGE: The following points may help in drafting your response:

• The Sedition Provisions in the Anti-Terror Act 2005 represent the most dangerous threat to freedom of expression in this country’s history, and is an intolerable curtailment of a fundamental human right.
• Demand that the Attorney General submit to the overwhelming opinion of the Senate Inquiry, the Australian Law Reform Commission, the Law Institute of Victoria, lawyers and legal experts across the country and abandon these dangerous sedition provisions which represent a real and palpable threat to the democracy that sustains our way of life. 

The Victorian Arts Community has made a significant impact on this campaign with arts and freedom of expression being quoted as key to opposition to the Sedition Provisions by the Victorian Premier, the Federal Opposition and The Age newspaper, as well as broader media coverage.

According to campaign organisers, “This Government believes that the issue has gone away, and that be delaying the process with a token Senate Inquiry and subsequent ALRC review that complacency will set in. This is not the case, and we urgently need your support to let the Government know that we will take this issue to the next election and beyond until these archaic provisions are struck from the law.”