...restrictions on freedom of speech justified in Australia? While there are laws that restrict Freedom of Speech in Australia in order to protect fundamental rights and to limit discrimination which emerged from multiculturalism, the same laws can also clash with the liberty of the citizens and with the right of Freedom of Speech itself. Introduction To establish the boundaries between the defense of Freedom of Expression and of minorities has become a challenge for modern states. The consolidation of different groups (ethnocultural , sexual diversity , immigrants, religious) within the base community has generated the need to redefine and strengthen the defense of the human rights. As Will Kymlicka explains, cultural mix requires an inclusive process, which involves the establishment of a group of rights that recognizes and protects the minorities. Conversely, the ongoing struggle of the minorities has a major difficulty: the delicate border between the defense of their rights and the violation of the rights of the community. Firstly, this essay aims to explain the current conception of Freedom of Speech, since it is a controversial issue, focusing on the importance of that right for the Australian society and for the world. Secondly, we will analyze whether Freedom of Speech needs limits and the role of harm speech and offense speech in that topic in Australia. Finally, the third paragraph will focus on the restrictions of Freedom of Speech in Australia and its aftermaths...
Words: 886 - Pages: 4
...The enactment of the Racial Discrimination Act of 1975 heralded an historic shift in what was to be regarded as fair comment and race hate speech. Under this section of the act, racial vilification was no longer socially acceptable in a socially cohesive, multicultural society. However, George Brandis, the Federal Attorney General, has argued that Section18C of the Racial Discrimination Act unjustifiably restricts the democratic principle of freedom of speech; claiming in 2014 that “people have a right to be bigots”. As expected, Brandis later proposed a draft bill to remove Section18C entirely. Although to do so would undermine the interests of social cohesion in a society as multicultural as Australia’s. It would upset the balance between...
Words: 1073 - Pages: 5
...censorship and regulation of access to certain content available on the internet in various countries has raised issues about whether it is effective, regarding each country’s purpose in imposing censorship and whether it is detrimental to the growth in knowledge and progress of society. In this research paper, the role of Censorship in society and the inherent need for appropriate regulation of different levels of access to available information, based on morals and the responsibility we have to the younger generation to protect them from unsuitable content is discussed along with the technology we have to ensure this. The varying degrees of censorship between China and Australia will also be comparatively examined in order to demonstrate the restrictive grip it may have on society in terms of freedom of speech, expression and quality of information and how it represents the present state of our global society and the counter-effects it may have as a result. Finally, the importance of Censorship or internet security as a security measure for the storage and transfer of...
Words: 2583 - Pages: 11
...Internet censorship is the use of filters or ‘blocks’ to control what is published, access and viewed across the internet. It is used by parents, organisations such as schools and corporations and governments to restrict what their citizen’s access and post online. Internet censorship has occurred since the early days of the public internet, where governments around the world have attempted to address the issue of illegal material, political propaganda, harmful material or content deemed unsuitable for children. This essay will discuss the instances of internet censorship failing to work, including when governments have attempted to introduce legislation to restrict access to the internet, and the reasons for the failure. Censorship across the globe will be briefly covered as well as techniques governments which have filters in place use to censor information. Many countries practice internet censorship, where the internet is tightly controlled and speaking your mind on it can get you in serious trouble with the government. According to USA Today, North Korea has the most tightly controlled internet , with all websites being under control by their government. It is so tight that only 4% of the population has access to the internet. Appendix A shows how accessible the internet is in countries. Another highly controlling country is China, where the government severely restricts internet access to their citizens by blocking social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter and...
Words: 1893 - Pages: 8
...that our government put forth and came up with. Human Rights are one of the best things that could have happened in our human society. Not all people appreciate the human rights in our society which give us the freedom to do or say and not be endangered by corrupt governments’ torture, assault and many more. Our Australian government is great and has smart leaders that lead our nation and society, but without them making, enforcing and protecting our human rights we live with today, we would be living a lifestyle with problems and with governments that don’t believe in human rights; which different continents around the world are undergoing at the moment. The United Nations a group of 50 Nations are trying their hardest to make our whole world free and for people to have the right to live in a secure and independent lifestyle. There are different types of Human Rights in our nation, civil, political and social and economic rights these are some of the rights that our government came up with. Political rights are where a person may vote and have there say in what government they want to have, civil rights and common daily rights such as workplace safety, suing people, compensation and many more. These are some of the different types of rights that we have the freedom of having in our nation. The Universal declaration of human rights was founded a group in 1948 after the second world war by the United Nations General Assemble. The United Nations consist of leaders and...
Words: 1339 - Pages: 6
...question of how European imperialism has benefitted the Commonwealth of Australia in the modern globalized world of the 21st century. After the British Empire’s everlasting defeat in the American Revolution, the incentive to colonize yet another nation to compensate for their losses in North America...
Words: 731 - Pages: 3
...the law of the land, is to certain extent an exemption from the general law. Certain rights and immunities such as freedom from arrest or freedom of speech belong primarily to individual members of each House and exist because the House cannot perform its functions without unimpeded use of the services of its members. Other such rights and immunities such as the power to punish for contempt and the power to regulate its own constitution belong primarily to each House as a collective body, for the protection of its members and the vindication of its own authority and dignity. Fundamentally, however, it is only as a means to the effective discharge of the collective functions of the House that the individual privileges are enjoyed by members. "When any of these rights and immunities is disregarded or attacked, the offence is called a breach of privilege and is punishable under the law of Parliament. Each House also claims the right to punish as contempt actions which, while not breaches of any specific privilege, obstruct or impede it in the performance of its functions, or are offences against its authority or dignity, such as disobedience to its legitimate commands or libels upon itself, its Members or its officers." Parliamentary Privilege in India Parliamentary Privilege in India adopts certain method of two Privileges * freedom of speech * freedom of publication of proceedings and other privileges. Cases * Raja Ram Pal vs Speaker, Lok Sabha & Ors (2007) ...
Words: 529 - Pages: 3
...Compulsory laws There’s no denying it. Americans aren’t showing up to the polls on Election Day. Every time there is an election we hear about the disappointing turnout on TV or in the paper. In a New York Times article, ‘What We’ve Seen in Australia with Mandatory Voting,’ it’s made very apparent in the article that America does indeed have a serious voter turnout problem. Is this really as big an issue as some would have you believe? Or is it better that we allow a continued disproportionate level of democratic power remain where it is? Although the implementation of compulsory voting, or mandatory voting, would mean that voter turnout would naturally increase, compulsory voting would neither benefit in our society or my district. This is largely due to the fact that even though my district would have more regulation in place to ensure a ballet is turned in, The majority of my district is uneducated and these would be the people showing up to vote. In Lisa Hill’s article, she compares Australia and the US several times but in truth, there is no comparison to be had. The United States is a world power and has almost 14 times as many people in our country than Australia. So while Ms Hill might be pleased with the way this program works in Australia, could you imagine the turnout here in the United States? More importantly, would the polls be able to handle the influx of voters turning out to take part in their constitutional right to have part in democracy It is a privilege to...
Words: 560 - Pages: 3
...migrating to Australia, her opinion on Australian citizenship and how she plans to contribute to Australia in the near future. Tosin is a huge influence for many young girls and ladies. Tosin Aoyedeji was born on August 11 1991 and is 27 years old. She has seven brothers and sisters and is the eldest in her family. Tosin comes from Nigeria which consists of 327 tribes. She comes from the biggest tribe, Yoruba. The official language of Nigeria is English so Tosin grew up learning it. In 1960 Nigeria became independent from...
Words: 778 - Pages: 4
...National Moments Fueling Nationalism, and Nationalism Fueling Wartime Culture LE300 – Warfare and Culture Core Assessment Paper Abstract This paper will take a close look at nationalism, nation moments and war time culture, and how the three influence each other. National moments inspire nationalism, and nationalism inspires culture. There will be a focus on America’s national moment of the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the nationalism that was bread from it, and the war time culture it inspired. Another focus will be on the freedom that Australia gained from the Britain after the landing in Gallipole, and the nationalism that grew while they were fighting with the British Expeditionary Force during the Great War. Lastly we will examine modern day nationalism, and take a look at a differing opinion on the subject. The Great War was filled with defining national moments for each country involved, which lead them to develop their own sense of nationalism. Their sense of nationalism influenced the way they fought and strategized in World War I. David Silbey’s chapter, “Connecting Culture and the Battlefield: Britain and the Empire fight the Hundred Days,” in Wayne E. Lee’s book, “Warfare and Culture in World History,” describes how operational decisions guided cultural development during World War I, and in turn, how wars are “…constructions of the cultures and societies that wage the wars, built according to the principles, beliefs, and myths of those cultures...
Words: 1591 - Pages: 7
...This may very well result in the creation of divisive sentiment of a nation. The U.S. Supreme Court in its rulings in Texas v. Johnson and U.S. v. Eichman, held that by criminalizing those who are found to have desecrated the U.S. flag violates constitutional rights (Goldstein, 1994). Although this is the guiding law related to such acts, it is important to note that lower courts have avoided addressing whether such acts are considered protected by the First Amendment as a form of symbolic speech (Wattad, 2008). While the courts have emphasized the constitutional importance of symbolic speech, there is no reference to application of criminal law as it relates to the offense (Wattad, 2008). Although conduct such as flag burning is presumed to be constitutionally protected, this does not mean that every person, simply because they have to right to such freedom, should be allowed to desecrate the flag (Wattad,...
Words: 897 - Pages: 4
...order to expand into another country, an understanding of cultural difference that can affect the business needs to be addressed. This is called cross-cultural literacy. To gain a better understanding of Australia, a study was conducted of population, social and cultural aspects. Demographic Trends In 1945, the population of Australia was seven million and was predominantly Anglo Celtic. Today, the population is twenty-one million with 43% either being born overseas or at least one parent being born overseas. In 2009, the birth rate was 12.47 births per 1,000 persons in the population. The literacy rate is 99.0%. Cultural Analysis – Values, Norms, Social Structure Australia has a blend of traditions and influences which define their values and norms. “..Everyone is expected to uphold the principles and shared values that support Australia’s way of life. These include: respect for equal worth, dignity and freedom of the individual; freedom of speech and association; freedom of religion and a secular government; support for parliamentary democracy and the rule of law; equality under the law; equality of men and women; equality of opportunity; peacefulness; a spirit of egalitarianism that embraces tolerance, mutual respect, and compassion for those in need. Australia also holds firmly to the belief that no one should be disadvantaged on the basis of their country of birth, cultural heritage, language, gender or religious belief.” (1) English is the national language...
Words: 1004 - Pages: 5
...Executive Summary Feltex Carpets Ltd. is the largest Australian carpet manufacturer. The company has experiences in internationalization in countries such as USA, Japan, Southeast Asia and New Zealand. However, the company is interested in expanding their market power to new destinations, to improve their multinational strategy and to be well-known worldwide. The countries of potential choice are Mexico and Chile. The analysis has been done by comparing the overall information and in-details of each indicator. From evaluation of indicators of both countries, such as economic, social, legal and infrastructure, the analysis has shown that the economy of both countries are quite similar. However, the infrastructure, technological and legal environment seem to be better in Chile. As the Chilean government support the foreign investment in textile sector by promoting the education, technological development and the special policy especially for textile. For instance, tax reduction and promoting education in labour forces. Thus, Chilean labour forces would have the better off in comparison with Mexican labour forces. Another highlighted indicator in the country comparison - which the recommendation has inclined - is infrastructures. Both countries have the similar relative figures in number of infrastructure such as roadway, waterway and airports. But the infrastructure of electricity and internet/telephone networks seems to be at a higher level in Chile. The analysis of relevant...
Words: 8704 - Pages: 35
...effect abroad and domestically here in Australia. The response to global terror as a result of Islamic extremists...
Words: 1065 - Pages: 5
...However the constitutional validity of this Act is often questioned considering they have broadened the terms of imprisonment and removed the possibility of parole. This legislation has caused controversy within the legal profession as many critics argue that it infringes the individuals right to freedom of speech, freedom of association and the right to remain silent. The effective of this particular legislation has been questioned a number of times, considering only 11 OMCGs members, approximately 1%, out of 1,113 criminal gang member had been charged under the new VLAD legislation (see: Effectiveness of Queensland’s Anti-bikie Laws: Fact or Furphy - 2014). After being charged under the provisions of the VLAD legislation Stephan Kuczborski took the Queensland Government to the High Court, in the case of Kuczborski v State of Queensland (2014) HCA 46. However the High Court failed to come to a decision concerning the validity of the challenged provisions (see: Kuczborski v Queensland: VLAD Law Challenges Door Still Open? - 2014). Both legislations...
Words: 741 - Pages: 3
