Fair #$%*% dinkum! What's the Victorian government up to with its #$%#% new anti-swearing laws?
A small but angry group of activists gathered on the steps of state parliament on Sunday to protest against new laws they say deny them freedom of speech and is turning Victoria into a nanny state.
Since July 1, police have had permanent powers to issue $240 on-the-spot fines to anyone using language deemed to be indecent or offensive.
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The powers had been trialled for the past three years but the new laws make it permanent.
The handful of protesters outside parliament proudly wore their T-Shirts and badges emblazoned with swear words, including one that read "UnF*** the world".
But with police looking on, they were careful not to drop the F-Bomb as they vowed to continue their campaign against the laws.
Ali Sayed, one of the protest organisers, said the new laws gave abstract and discretionary powers to police to decide what was indecent or offensive language.
People should have the opportunity to defend themselves in court, and the law was merely a revenue-building exercise they estimated would raise up to $50 million in the next three or four years, Mr Sayed said.
The government says the law will free up police resources and enable them to more effectively act against loud-mouthed, obnoxious behaviour that can make going out to public places unpleasant for other members of the public.
