Information Isn't Criminal . . Our society is a society where people can be in fear of their lives because of threats from a spouse but the police cannot do anything about it until a crime is actually committed. This means that actual harm must be done, the law must be broken. Assumption of intent is not enough. Yet it now appears that it is assumed that access and knowing constitutes a danger to society of such magnitude that common sense should be dispensed with.
Information is of itself neutral.
Australian society has never required enabling legislation, we therefore have neither the protection, nor the restrictions of a First Amendment. We must maintain clear and public understanding of the difference between being socially irresponsible and criminal activity. Pre-Mandela South Africa had extremely restrictive censorship policies and practices. Books in general were an object of great suspicion. We appear to be heading down the same road in a manner that is highly inconsistent, and which ignores both the assumption of innocence and notion of intent.