Regarding the Queensland “from the river to the sea” ban… its section 52DA of the Criminal Code, here:
https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/view/whole/html/inforce/current/act-1899-009
It starts by saying: “A person who publicly recites, publicly distributes, publishes or publicly displays a prohibited expression in a way that might reasonably be expected to cause a member of the public to feel menaced, harassed or offended commits an offence” - and then goes on to define the phrase “from the river to the sea”.
Surely, singing John Farnham is not “a way that might reasonably be expected to cause a member of the public to feel menaced, harassed or offended” - and thus any media reports of people “narrowly escaping arrest” are lazy reporting?
(Even, surely, if you sing the song while holding a Palestinian flag?)
Or am I missing something crucial about this particularly dumb law from Crissafuli?
#auspol #qld #queensland
James Cridland
npub1g5…9t5sr
2026-04-18 07:33:54 UTC
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