“I’m sick and tired of the alphabet people that are pushing their own agendas on our children. What I’ll say to people here is: leave our children alone.” Senator Pauline Hanson said during a parliamentary speech on Tuesday evening.
The One Nation leader was speaking to her party’s call to establish a parliamentary inquiry into the Australian Classification system, and its bodies the Australian Classification Board and the Australian Classification Review Board.
Senator Hanson cited the recent publication of a sex education book by author Yumi Stynes and Dr Melissa Kang as a failure of the classification system. Senator Hanson said the book was a “piece of filth”, arguing that children should not be allowed to read information on anal sex or see depictions of two women having sex.
“I picked up the book and flicked through it, and I saw the pages in it: ‘How to have anal sex’, and then you had two women having sex together also. This is just disgusting—the whole book.” Senator Hanson said.
Welcome to Sex was recently removed from Big W stores after a campaign from Christian groups and right-wing organisations. Big W said it was taking the book off shelves after threats to staff safety. Dr Kang, who wrote the popular Dolly Doctor column for over 20 years has highlighted that the topics covered in the book are genuine questions asked by adolescents.
The campaign against Welcome to Sex, is just one a spate of recent pushes to restrict or ban books in Australia. Launching the motion to establish a parliamentary inquiry, One Nation’s Malcolm Roberts highlighted that Queensland activist Bernard Gaynor has been at the forefront of calling for several publications to be removed from shelves.
Gaynor has raised concern about the graphic novel The Boys and also pushed for Maia Kobabe’s 2019 memoir Gender Queer to be banned. The Australian Classification Review Board recently upheld a decision to classify Kobabe’s book as being recommended for people over the age of fifteen.
Speaking in parliament Senator Roberts said there needed to be a review into the classification system due to the growing popularity of graphic novels.
“Legislation written in 1995 simply didn’t envisage this trend of graphic novels that are sexually violent and exploitative material that one could describe as child-grooming material.” Senator Roberts said.
Senator Roberts said the sex education book authored by Stynes and Kand was pornographic.
“Restricting a publication like this is not book burning, as some have suggested, some who are afraid of a debate. One Nation is not calling for the book to be banned. We are suggesting this book should be classified in a way that prevents young children from reading it.
“That is not book burning. That is basic decency reflecting community standards that say teaching 10-year-olds how to have anal sex is just plain wrong. A legally binding MA15+ classification would achieve that.” Senator Roberts said.
Labor’s Carol Brown said the government would not be supporting the One Nation motion because they had already announced a review of the classification process.
“In March this year the government announced a two-stage process to reform the classification framework. The government will commence consultation later this year and welcomes the participation of all those interested in the classification scheme through that process.” Senator Brown said.
The proposal did gain support from the Liberal party, Senator Dean Smith said the Classification Board was accountable to the parliament.
“The national classification scheme is important. It sets out the regulatory framework for the classifying of films, computer games and publications. The work of the Classification Board and the Classification Review Board can have significant impacts on businesses that rely on these bodies to publish, screen and sell their products, including films, games and books, and the classifications themselves are very important for many of us in the community who rely on them when watching, playing or reading the items which are classified.
“The Classification Board reports to this parliament and is accountable to this place for their actions.” Senator Smith said. Colleague Senator Alex Antic said a review was needed because sex education books were “Trojan horses” for “radical gender theory”.
“The issue of sexual education is not the issue here. That’s been around since time immemorial.” Senator Antic said, “But these books are ostensibly trojan horses for radical gender theory dressed up as sex education for our kids, and we need to call them out for what they are. These are not simple education manuals. They are books enclosing radical gender theory, and we need to have this review.”
United Australia Party’s Senator Ralph Babet, who has been a vocal campaigner against the Welcome to Sex book, said the fact the book remained available showed that the current classification system was in need of reform.
“I’ve read the book and, let me tell you in this place right now, it is filth; it is degeneracy; it is disgusting.” Senator Babet said.
Senator Babet said the current system which calls on publishers and content creators to submit the work for classification only if they believe it is required was no suitable. Senator Babet said there needed to be punishments for publishers who did not submit their books, films or games for review.
“They’ve got to feel the pain. These people need to be punished and penalised. They’re degenerates.” he said, describing a “war on for the souls and the minds of this nation’s children.”
As the debate occurred late in the parliamentary day a vote on the motion was put off until Wednesday.
OIP Staff
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