Updated: Michael Atkinson, the South Australian Attorney General noted for quaint ways, is at it again: a new law means you must attach your name/details to any letter or blog comment once the March 2010 SA election is formally called, which is expected imminently. The SA pollies can accept anonymous donations...but citizens can't make anonymous comments on the pollies' performance.

Atkinson backflip: when's the election?

Wed 3 Feb 2010  A-G Atkinson did a backflip

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From the ABC report:

South Australia's Attorney-General Michael Atkinson admits he misjudged public opinion on the state's attempt to curb political comment on the internet.

Mr Atkinson says he will repeal a law which would have meant that anyone posting comment or blogs during an election period would have had to give their real name and postcode.

Opponents had branded the law an attack on freedom of speech, and Mr Atkinson says he listened to community concerns in his decision to overturn it.

"I now understand that bloggers demand the right to publish, on the net, political commentary in the election period anonymously or under an assumed name," he said.

"I miscalculated the strength of feeling among teenagers and people in their 20s who have grown up with the internet and blogging and I underestimated their desire to have as a right the ability to make political commentary in the election period anonymously or under an assumed name.

"When one gets public opinion wrong, as I did, one has to change one's mind."

Now, if only Mr Atkinson will realise the errors of his ways over R18+ video games. He - and he alone among the Australian A-Gs - has had a veto on bringing in such a classification for the past two years. Time to re-calculate the strength of feeeling among teenagers and people in their 20s on that issue, too, Mr Atkinson.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/02/03/2808495.htm

Our earlier story

CLA media release:

Media release: Re mandatory blogging/letters names
From: Civil Liberties Australia (postcode  2611, www.cla.asn.au) says:

The SA Attorney-General has mixed up principle with interest in relation to anonymous online blogging.

"With this new law it appears it is OK to make anonymous payments to the SA Labor Party... but it's not OK for South Australians to anonymously criticise their government," CLA's spokesperson, Tim Vines, said.

"Sure, people should take responsibility for what they say in public...but how do you police it?

"Anyone can put any name and any postcode on any comment anywhere. How on earth would you verify whether or not the name/location was true? "Will newspapers and online journals need to employ 10 special people to go from suburb to suburb, knocking on doors, trying to check who lives at that address?

"Even if you are the correct person at the correct address, how do you prove you are? A phone bill won't be enough, as you'd need photographic ID. Only a passport - or perhaps a (South) Australia Card - would do the job.

"Is the A-G planning to issue ID cards to all potential letter writers and bloggers?

"Looks like some more silly legislation sponsored by Australia's stand-out Attorney-General, Michael Atkinson, the only (the stand-out) A-G who won't allow an adult video game category in Australia."

For comment: Tim Vines,                       CLA media spokesperson
CLA Assn   No 04043   Box 7438   FISHER ACT 2611