When we lose our right to hold, express and communicate our beliefs and political opinions we lose our democracy.
We are already witnessing the new censorship legislation being weaponised against Australian citizens in other jurisdictions:
A Victorian woman is being prosecuted in Queensland for stating that'men cannot breastfeed'. Jasmine, who is herself a breastfeeding expert faces a long and expensive battle to defend her right to state a simple biological fact. The prosecution has been made possible by the inclusion of 'gender identity' which is also included in the proposed Victorian legislation.
A Tasmanian councillor, Louise Elliot was prevented from booking the Town Hall Ballroom for a women's rights and free speech forum. Louise wanted to debate the impact of transgender women in women's sports and in women's prisons and shelters. To fight this, Louise was forced to go through a lengthy and expensive legal battle.
A Melbourne doctor had his licence revoked after several anonymous complaints were made to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. Dr Jereth Kok expressed his political and religious views on social media regarding abortion and sexuality, with some dating back twelve years.
These cases highlight the risk to every Australian for wanting to hold public, good-faith debates and conversations on important issues of rights and freedoms.
We have provided a tool below that will help you produce a personal submission to Engage Victoria. Please voice your concerns about the proposed Anti-Vilification Bill.