Censorship in Australia.

I would like to begin by talking about the case of censorship in Australia. Australia has had the particular reputation for being quite strict and regimental in regards to the banning of books. In the article “Censorship and sensibility,” Jane Sullivan(10^th July 2010, p 12) exposes that customs banned over 5000 books, unbeknownst to booksellers and the general public. Sullivan points out that the list is much higher, up to 17,000 items when we consider the restriction of the release of magazines, comics, pamphlets etc. (The Age, 10^th July 2010, p 12)

Books that were banned in Australia, included George Orwell’s Keep the Aspidistra Flying and Down and Out in Paris and London, Lolita, Lady Chatterley’s Lover, Ulysses, Catcher in the Rye and Forever Amber, just to name a few. (The Age, 10^th July 2010, p 12)

One famous case of public censoring was the 1946 case of Robert Close, whose book Love Me Sailor, was considered scandalous and he was taken to court with obscene libel. This was one of many post-war cases against artists and authors. (The Age, 10^th July 2010, p 12) Professor Jenny Hocking (The Age, 10^th July 2010, p 12)points out that “one of the great dangers of the use of law is that it will create an environment of cultural timidity and aesthetic restraint that’s unhealthy for society. And that remains the case today.”(The Age, 10^th July 2010, p 12)

Through the 1960’s and 1970’s attitudes became more liberal with people speaking up about their rights to choose what they should read in Australia. Censorship laws were loosened and there have been no books banned since 1973…until now. Recently there have been certain books about terrorism and euthanasia that have been banned. These books, Defense of the Muslim Lands, Join the Caravan and The Peaceful Pill Handbook are available online. These books have been banned due to the wave of underlying fear that pervades the world now, after the spate of terrorist attacks, namely the September 11 attack in New York. (The Age, 10^th July 2010, p 12-13)

The internet is the new battleground for issues of censorship. The tangible has become intangible in the sense that books that have been banned, in countries such as Australia can be accessed from anywhere in the world onto a home computer. How will this change the way books are censored, banned or destroyed in the future? (The Age, 10^th July 2010, p 13) I will come back to this issue in further posts, but first I will give you a brief history of the censorship and the destruction of books and libraries.

References:

Sullivan, J 2010, ‘Censorship and sensibility’, The Age, 10 July, A2, p12-13.