I was having a conversation with the adonis who I train with recently. He was talking about how we have freedom of the press and freedom of speech in Australia, and how that was great.
I was interested in this because I disagree that we currently have those freedoms.
Yes, I’m aware of the irony of sitting in a comfortable Sydney home, on the internet, writing that we don’t have freedom of speech or freedom of the press in Australia.
This week Australia’s High Court made a decision that means that any company in Australia that has an internet presence, is liable for the comments on their social media accounts or website.
One of the consequences of this is that ordinary people who do try to speak out about things going wrong may well be moderated out of the discourse.
Australia updated secrecy laws in 2018, making it illegal to talk about certain things, either in Australia or overseas (if you’re interested, read part 5.6 of the federal Criminal Code (1995)).
This year Australia appointed a High Court judge Justice Simon Steward who stated that freedom of speech and freedom of political communication are not “settled law”.
This is part of a long term trend in Australia to pass laws that punish or criminalize people for having opinions, exposing government wrongdoing, and speaking out in the public interest.
So? What can you do?
Here’s the problems, what are the solutions?
- Write to your local member, asking for more political freedoms and asking them to uphold your right to political communication and freedom of speech
- Write a blog post about your thoughts
- Write something on social media about freedom of speech in Australia, tag your local member, the Attorney General’s Department and the federal parliament
- Write to the editor of your favourite newspaper
- Read and share blog posts like this one
- Participate in public discourse– bring it up at dinner, bring it up at a public forum, talk about what’s going on
- Start or sign a petition asking for change asking for the right to protest.
- Start a T-shirt Campaign
- Make Art about it
- Write a story about it
- Express yourself through poetry
- Make some rocking music
- Put your thoughts into photos
- Meditate on healing the world
- Send good wishes into the lives of other people
- Connect with people in your community so that we can lift the cohort
- Get a qualification or do a short course to keep yourself fresh and keep your brain working
- Meditate on having love in your heart
- Learn a language
- Become F.I.R.E so you’re not a slave to a job any more.
It might not think that these will change things politically, but every time you lift yourself out of fatalistic, nihilistic depression, you remind yourself of the truth:
You have power. You have creativity. You can do something. Change is possible.
Remember: Always be kind.
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This blog is fiction. By reading this blog, you agree that you read it under your own risk, and Gill’s Practical Bookkeeping is in no way responsible for any harm or prejudice to yourself, your business, or any fictional examples above.
I am not a financial advisor. I do not have an AFSL. I am a chick who likes to read, think, write, and has access to google. You should treat this blog with the same seriousness that you would treat anyone whose main qualification is access to google. This blog is for entertainment purposes only. It’s a little like watching The Good Place for nerds or artists.
Anything you take from this blog is your responsibility. Nothing in this blog, even if you are mentioned by name, address, and telephone number, pertains to your personal situation. Anything you agree with, or disagree with, you are welcome to comment on, but your opinions belong to you. You are responsible for your comments. If they are offensive, I will remove them.
