I’ve mentioned the attempts by the Australian government to tighten the country’s already strict censorship laws several times over the past couple of months. So rather than rattle on further, can I instead point you in the direction of this discussion of the problems with the proposed ban from Tony Coady.

The document uses a problematic definition of terrorism and its recommendations resort to dangerously vague categories such as “tone”. Accepting its clumsy proposals would represent yet more government erosion of civil rights, and would have a serious effect on freedom of academic inquiry.

As someone who researches terrorism in his academic work and who receives Australian Research Council support on the topic, I find the proposal thoroughly disturbing.

Taken together, these make terrorists of the Jewish armed resisters to Nazi troops in the Warsaw ghetto or French resisters attacking German military facilities, and rule out as terrorist any acts committed by Russian troops in Chechnya or Serbian troops in Kosovo. It also means that the American revolution of independence consisted wholly of terrorist acts.

Read the whole thing, as they say.

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