Freedom in Australia

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Despite popular opinion, freedom within Australia is not easily obtainable as originally believed. As societies conflicting values continue to headline major newspapers and sites, understanding how freedom works within the legal system has never been more important. Unlike the United States, Australia’s citizens do not have the right to freedom of speech. But rather the freedom of opinion which entails “the right to hold opinions without interference… or restriction” (AUST GOV). Despite also having the freedom of expression, this is not without its limits, which forces Australian citizens to ask ‘should we incorporate freedom of speech into our legal system?’



However, freedom of speech can also have negative repercussions, especially upon minorities. As social media is constantly accessible and can rapidly share information, the spread of hate speech has never been so dangerous. Especially as tensions continue to grow surrounding religion, as it was commonly linked together by the media with terror attacks. But more recently, religion has been correlated with the molesting of children, or stripping away the freedoms of gays and women. This negative media attention has resulted in religion being depicted as a horrible and restricting way of life, rather than freeing those who believe in it. With freedom of speech introduced into the Australian legal system, it could have a detrimental impact on both the target and the individual. Despite its many positive attributes, at this moment in time freedom of speech is not necessary as Australia still has many other rights to expression and opinion.






Information from:


The Australian Government, Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression,  https://www.ag.gov.au/RightsAndProtections/HumanRights/Human-rights-scrutiny/PublicSectorGuidanceSheets/Pages/Righttofreedomofopinionandexpression.aspx


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