AUSTRALIA—The Australian Law Reform Commission’s (ALRC) recommendations to the federal government last month on the classification of adult media in Australia could bring about long awaited changes to the retail environment of Sexpo.
The ALRC recommended that the Commonwealth take over the enforcement of a new Classification Act which could result in the sale of classified X18+ media in NSW for the first time since the early 1980s. In 1985, The Rev Fred Nile lobbied and bamboozled NSW Premier, Neville Wran, into banning the sale of X18+ films—but not their possession or purchase.
Eros Association President Fiona Patten presided over a media conference at the opening of Sexpo earlier this week with porn star, Ron Jeremy (pictured).
“Ron Jeremy’s films contain non-violent erotica and are legal to sell throughout Europe, Russia, Scandanavia, North and Southern America, New Zealand and South Africa, but not in the state of NSW,” Patten said. “This clearly states that NSW is still in the grip of the nanny state and that the state’s MPs do not have the stomach for a fight with moral’s campaigners”.
“If the federal government accepts the ALRC recommendations with regard to adult media, NSW will have to decide whether to accept X18+ or try to live with an online regulatory environment that is the opposite of the off-line one," Patten added. “A two-tiered system would be unworkable for state police and magistrates – many of whom we know to be legally purchasing this material anyway.”
With legal X material for sale at Sexpo, the public would be able to make a much better choice as to the erotica of their particular persuasion," said Patten, adding, “The ALRC recommended abandoning the Refused Classification category and replacing it with a more sensible, ‘Prohibited’ classification. They also recommended that non violent fetishes that are currently banned and are not illegal to perform be allowed to be depicted in the X18+ classification.”
She said that this would allow people to buy films that showed:
Leather fetish
Mild bondage and spanking
Balloon bursting and sex
Foot fetishes
Female ejaculation
Rubberists
Cavalry clubs
