The Northern Territory’s reputation for being casual, laid-back, and a little bit irreverent will be crushed under new laws the Fyles Labor government is pushing through parliament.
Deputy Leader of the Opposition Gerard Maley said Labor’s anti-discrimination Bill would have a huge impact on every single Territorian, making them too scared to exercise their free speech.
“Under these changes, telling a joke in the pub could see you hauled up before the anti-discrimination commission because the joke could offend someone,” he said.
“Anyone hearing, or overhearing, the joke could lodge a complaint because it could offend a person or a group of people.
“A complaint can even be lodged on behalf of another person, regardless of that person wanting a complaint lodged or not.
“Even the media will have to think twice when writing or broadcasting anything that someone could interpret as offensive or insulting.”
Mr Maley said the new law would broaden the definition of offending so much that almost anything could cause an offence to someone, including criticism of the government.
“That’s very concerning because we’ve already seen the low bar for what Labor considers to be offensive,” he said.
“In parliament, some of the terms Labor said were offensive include incompetent, low capacity, useless, disgrace, pathetic, coward, and even a slow hand clap.
“While complaints may be dismissed during the process, the public will that the process itself is the punishment.”
ENDS