Darwin council cracks down on free speech
BY PETER JOHNSTON
DARWIN — Darwin City Council has cracked down on free speech on the city's streets, fining Resistance activist Jo Ellis $50 for distributing Green Left Weekly in a public place without a permit. The newspaper's supporters and civil libertarians are planning a public campaign to end the crackdown.
Council officials have told Green Left Weekly that it is illegal to distribute information in any street, footpath, park, or other public place in the entire municipality without first paying for and obtaining a permit.
On local ABC radio, Ellis said "this is fundamentally a freedom of speech issue. Non-profit individuals and organisations should be free to use public spaces at will, so long as they are not harassing others. Usage should not be based upon the ability to pay, or upon council permission."
In reply, council spokesperson Allan McGill told ABC listeners, "This is an issue of control". If council doesn't maintain control over who uses public spaces, chaos will ensue, he argued.
McGill has offered to withdraw the fine, just this once, and to lower the $10 per day permit cost, but has warned that in future anyone attempting to sell Green Left Weekly in public without a permit would be fined.
Green Left Weekly's policy is to oppose, on principle, any restriction on freedom of speech. Fees and permits, of whatever character, constitute such a restriction and a dangerous, undemocratic precedent; once in place, their terms can be altered to silence or exclude individuals or groups deemed "unacceptable".
The newspaper has rejected the council's half-hearted offer and instead called for the permit to be scrapped altogether.
Darwin's Green Left Weekly sellers and supporters are planning a public campaign to force the council to alter the regulations, involving stalls, petitions and letters to council and local newspapers urging an end to restrictions on freedom of speech. Some supporters are also planning street theatre performances to attract and win public support.
Under the council's permit system, however, any such public activities can be deemed to breach regulations and be punishable by fines, an indication of how dangerous any restriction of freedom of speech could be.
Darwin City Council's actions are not unique. Councils in many other cities have attempted crackdowns on "unregulated" activity, especially political activity, in public spaces. Green Left Weekly supporters have had to fight similar public campaigns against council restrictions in Adelaide, Brisbane and Wollongong and have, in each case, won out.
Supporters of Green Left Weekly and of freedom of speech are urged to send letters of protest to the Darwin City Council, at GPO Box 84, Darwin 0801. The council's fax number is (08) 8941 0849 and its email is <dcc@darcity.nt.gov.au>.
Those who wish to support the campaign, either in person, with ideas, or with donations, please contact the Darwin Resistance Centre at (08) 8981 4714, or email at <darwin@greenleft.org.au>.