Australia joins global movement to restrict access to porn
Think of the children!
As we've seen in other countries around the world, Australia has moved age-verification requirements for distributors of adult content.
In Australia, it's the eSafety Commissioner who is overseeing the new "digital safety codes".
In essence, the regulations require adult-content websites to implement methods to verify that users are over the age of 18.
Julie Inman Grant - the eSafety Commissioner for Australia - says that the new codes are designed to reduce children’s exposure to harmful material and direct vulnerable young people to support services.
“We don’t allow children to walk into bars or bottle shops, adult stores or casinos, but when it comes to online spaces where they are spending a lot of their time, there are no such safeguards...” explained Grant. “Under these codes, if a young person searches the internet for suicide or self-harm content, the first result they see will be a helpline – not a harmful online rabbit hole.”
While VPNs can be used to get around geo-specific restrictions such as these in Australia, the obvious concerns are government regulation of what adults access, as well as data collection.
A broader question though is how porn is being used as a scapegoat for the fundamental unravelling of our communities. Restricting access to porn is relatively straightforward, asking parents to be more engaged in how their children are accessing the internet is more complicated. But if we can't discuss that, how are we going to have a conversation about how the rise in individualism, the prioritisation of the nuclear family, and the loss of opportunities to connect with other people is causing a fundamental shift in how our society operates?
We're cooked.
What’s life like for LGBTQ people who live in Australia?
What’s life like for LGBTQ people who live in Australia? Let's take a look at some of the key equality indicators.
Is it legal to be gay?
Yes. The United Kingdom invaded the continent we now know as Australia in 1788. The colonies that they established inherited their laws from the UK – including the Buggery Act of 1533 that made sodomy a crime punishable by death.
Over time, the colonies developed into states, and a federation was created so that they could operate as one country.
Sodomy remained a crime punishable by death until 1949 (some states removed it earlier than others).
Being gay remained a crime in Australia until 1997 (although some states began the repeal process in 1975).
It is now legal to be gay in Australia.
Is there anti-discrimination legislation in place?
Yes. Comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation was implemented across all states in Australia in 2013. Prior to that, the anti-discrimination protections had been evolving (from around 1986) but had been fragmented.
Is there marriage equality?
Yes. Following a public vote in 2017, Australia has embraced marriage equality.
What’s life like for LGBTQ people who live in Australia?
While there are still isolated incidents of homophobia and anti-gay violence, Australia is a good place to be gay.
You will find gay people living openly in communities across the country (not just the larger cities), and media representation of LGBTQ characters is generally positive. There are numerous Pride celebrations held across the country.
However, LGBTQ people from Indigenous communities have poorer health outcomes and face additional barriers to living openly.
