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Rights of Australian photographer's under threat....
#1

The following is from a forum on ADPOTD website. An online petition has been started for anyone who may be interested in signing.....

http://www.petitiononline.com/ausphoto/petition.html

Hot off the press

This appeared in the Sunday Telegraph 11 Mar 2007

Quote

TACKLING CAMERA PERVERTS

Beaches and other public areas could become camera-free zones with a national working committee meeting next month to consider new legislation.

Attorney-General Phillip Ruddock said uniform laws were needed to protect women and children at beaches, on public transport and at sporting events.

He said unauthorised photography was "clearly a problem" and the new laws could result in a maximum two-year jail sentence.

The reforms follow several recent well-published reports of so-called "up-skirting".

At the Australian Open in January, three men were charged in separate incidents for using small hidden cameras to secretly film up women's skirts.

A man was also caught in January taking photographs up women's shirts on Melbourne trams.

The Standing Committee of Attorney-Generals, made up of all State attorney-generals, released a discussion paper on the need for new laws to control unauthorised photography.

Surf Lifesaving Australia was among those who made a submission. It is paricularly concerned at protecting its 40,000 young members.

"We have a duty of care to protect our members," Sean O'Connell , of Surf Lifesaving Australia, said.

"There is no way of regulating how photos of children are used.

"We just want some clarity and consistency in the legislation."

Coogee beach was hit by a spate of voyeures who used their mobile phone cameras to take photographs of female sunbathers, some of them topless.

A 25-year-old labourer became the first man convicted of using his phone for offensive purposes in December 2004 and was fined $500.

Some men have been spotted using digital cameras to snap topless beachgoers.

Unquote

Ok, did anyone else see or know of this discussion paper, any camera clubs get a copy?? Any camera clubs make a submission??

Note how we need to protect 'women and children', no offence ladies. Sorry guys you don't need protection your image is up for expoitation. These are the sorts of statements that categorise ALL men as being the bad guy.

There is a state election in NSW this month and I will be contacting all candidates in my electorate on this issue. I will also be contacting my Federal member as well, there is a Federal election some time this year remember.

I urge everyone to do the same. We need to be heard because we don't have an organisation that can be a voice for us, well none that I know of that won't capitulate because "you can't fight the government". Of course you can fight the government, you elected them, they work for you.

Get on the phone, email, write a letter. Better still do all three.

I'm sick of being the bug. It's time to be the windscreen.....

Link to ADPOTD forum http://www.potd.com.au/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2268 This is also related http://www.potd.com.au/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2166

Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.
Winston Churchill
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#2

Have signed up.

Canon stuff.
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#3

It's quite a sad state of affairs, thanks for posting the article.

I think it's pretty poor to tar photographers with the same brush as those sickos who use "small hidden cameras to secretly film up women's skirts". Having a ban on photography will have no impact on those perverts because their cameras are hidden anyway.

As for those on the beach, I can sort of sympathize - but then again, if you're going to go topless in a public place - and the key word here being "public" - then maybe they should bear the consequences, instead of blaming it on photographers.

On the other hand, I don't have any kids or topless wives - maybe when I do I might have a different perspective... Big Grin


Just signed the petition - it's up to 1724 signatures...
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#4

Sounds like you got similar laws to us. $500 fine ha . They should be locked up for a long while and on the second offence throw the key away. These folk can't be rehabilitated.

Lumix LX5.
Canon 350 D.+ 18-55 Kit lens + Tamron 70-300 macro. + Canon 50mm f1.8 + Manfrotto tripod, in bag.
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