Gag put on free speech
THE recent incident involving Dawn Fraser highlights a serious underlying problem we are facing in Australia today.
By all accounts, Dawn was forced to apologise for her comments, yet the message I am receiving is loud and clear – most people agree with Dawn’s criticism.
Think back to Pauline Hanson and the time she was jailed for some apparent misdemeanour. If all our politicians were held to this account, the majority of them would be languishing in jail.
Hanson was only saying what most Australians think anyway, yet she was punished for it.
The similarity between the two incidents is this: both are public figures, both are outspoken, yet both have been attacked for what should be a fundamental right in this country, the right to freedom of speech, a right that has been hard- fought for with the many sacrifices from our service personnel. This is being eroded at an alarming pace.
When we vote our politicians and governments into office, they are supposed to represent this country and its people, yet it is becoming painfully obvious to many of us that this is not the case, in fact it appears to be exactly the opposite.
Our politicians are not serving the best interests of our country.
To quote the words of a man who had escaped from a Communist regime: “I escape from Communist country. Country very bad, people oppressed. I come to Aus- tralia and find stupid people over here, try to turn this country into same I just left.”
At this time in our history, criminals, long- term welfare recipients, illegal refugees and immigrants who openly despise our way of life are given far more rights than the very people who pay to support them, yet there is an immediate backlash against anyone who tries to speak out against this.
Perhaps Zimbabwe or Syria is a better option for some people.
If we don’t stand up for our own country, then we deserve everything we get. R. GLEDHILL,
Townsville.