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The Forum > General Discussion > Section 18c: a threat to free speech

Section 18c: a threat to free speech

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Louise Clegg, the Opposition Leader's wife, writes, “My prediction? 18c will bite the dust”.

She thinks that the High Court will be asked, after all those years it has existed, if Parliament can prohibit race based political speech “merely because it is offensive” (to some people).

If Pauline Hanson appeals to the High Court over her loss against Senator Faruqi's whinge, 18c will be on trial. As will the fact that Faruqi's offensive tweet against Queen Elizabeth was not proscribed by Parliament - only Hanson's.

Clegg also writes that the Federal Court's finding against Hanson's appeal is impenetrable, “even to lawyers”. She is also astonished that the High Court has never ruled on whether a law prohibiting specifically race-based speech is likely to offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate is “compatible with our Constitution”.

The full Federal Court, unlike the judge who found against Hanson in the first place, accepted that 18c puts a “significant burden” on political communication.

Efforts to oust 18c have failed because, according to Clegg, “... at least in part because our society has no fundamental understanding of the importance of freedom of speech”. A High Court appeal might stimulate public debate.

An appeal by Hanson would also show us if the “implied freedom” of political communication in the Constitution is the “real deal”.
Posted by ttbn, Friday, 7 August 2026 9:54:33 AM
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Bully for Mrs Clegg, I didn't know who Mrs Clagg was, I thought she might have been the heiress to the Clagg Glue empire, sorry only one "g". I didn't realise she was married to Fungus Taylor, and in your patriarchal world ttbn, shouldn't Mrs Clegg be Mrs Taylor, the little woman? Doesn't she have a decent recipe for Pumpkin Scones, or some other delicious titbit to enlighten us with?

YOU can bellyache all YOU like about the findings of the Federal Court against your racist tart, the Lovely Pauline, it was a unanimous decision, the court found Hanson had breached the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 because her remarks constituted an unlawful and racist personal attack. Obvious YOU are clueless on this as YOU are on everything else.

As for the old gal in London who carked it at the age of 96 peacefully in her sleep, so what, she's was dead, and you can't slander dead people. YOU are full of it!
Posted by Paul1405, Friday, 7 August 2026 3:00:41 PM
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In what can only be described as a political farce, or a case of policy back flip, One Nation's David Farley appeared on the ABC's 'Insiders' program to tell the world One Nation will bring in not the stated 130,000 migrants its leader has said, but 230,000. That's 5,000 more than the target set by the Labor government. According to Mr Farley on top of the Hanson 130, there will be another 100,000 brought in as "rural workers". The Lovely Pauline forgot to mention that, as she, like Barnyard Joy and now Mr Farley are clueless on policy, making it up on the run as they do.

If Australia wants chaos then vote in a One Nation government. The Lovely Pauline makes The Mad Katter look positively intelligent.
Posted by Paul1405, Monday, 24 August 2026 6:09:48 AM
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