Setting: Etihad Stadium, Melbourne. Date: October 8 2011. Occasion: Melbourne Victory’s opening game of the 2011/12 A-League season.
The Conversation
“Sergeant Brown?”
“Yes, Constable White?”
“There are 250 Sydney supporters chanting ‘F*** off Melbourne.’ What do I do?”
“Issue them fines, Constable White.”
“What? All of them?’”
“Yes. All of them!”
“What about the 1000 Victory supporters who have just started chanting “F*** off Sydney?”
“Fine them as well, Constable White. Well? What are you waiting for!”
Let me explain.
Yesterday, the conservative Victorian State government announced the imminent introduction through State Parliament of on the spot fines for swearing.
If you are deemed by an officer of the Victorian Police to have sworn in an indecent, offensive or threatening manner, you will be made to contribute $240 to the state’s coffers.
No. This is not a late April Fools Joke.
Victorian Police have always had the power to charge people with indecent language offences. But they chose to do this judiciously as offenders had to be put through the court system.
Basically, you needed to behave like a complete and utter tit to find yourself in court.
Attorney-General Robert Clark explained it this way. “It frees up police time for other law enforcement activities and enables them to more readily issue penalties against those offenders who deserve them.”
Deserves them? Where do you draw the line?
Unsurprisingly, the opposition state Labor Party supported the bill, since they had originally proposed it while still in office. They were not going to be left behind in the law and order crusade to see who could create the most repressive nanny state in Australia.
Thousands of Victorians will be watching the swear-fest that is Angry Boys starring Chris Lilley tonight. But, swear in exasperation at the umpires at an AFL game, or partake in a bit of boisterous football banter for a few minutes at the football, and before you know it Constable White will be asking for your details.
Let’s hope the Victorian Police apply this ass of a law with some common sense.
Art Sapphire is the pseudonym for Athas Zafiris. He is on Twitter @ArtSapphire
SteveRivervale
Guest
F**k some people take themselves seriously. Listen mate, get of your high horse about education, extract your head from your a** and realise that what people are really talking about is their civil liberty. It seems that these days we are passing more and more laws that seek to restrict the average person and give the police more power; as if they didn't already have enough! And there is always some to**er ready to defend these restrictions to personal freedom in the name of decency or taking some it'll never happen to me because I'm such a law abiding citizen...police men will never abuse their power...blah blah blah approach. I recon you'd be a riot at a party mate...not!!!
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
Anfield is regarded as one of the world's premier football grounds for atmosphere and the lads at Anfield seem to think expletives are part of the cut & thrust of football chanting. How would VicPol handle this situation ... lots and lots of paperwork, that's for sure. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk5fyBfUAhs&feature=related
Bondy
Guest
Art. He's a dead ringer . And a bloody good one.
Art Sapphire
Guest
Thats a good resemblance Bondy. But Jose was nowhere near the stadium, he was working on his tan. Although he was on skype later that evening as I reported earlier this week :)
The eye
Guest
Noticed the Victoria Police riot squad was training at Docklands stadium the other week in the car park. Beware trouble makers.
Bondy
Guest
A special 1 with a United scarf on at the European Cup Final . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ptF_mQCd_k
mds1970
Roar Guru
It won't cost a cent if you don't swear. The singing that goes on at games is great - but is it really necessary for groups to be yelling out expletives at each other?
Davo
Guest
Can't really blame them for the fines. You wouldn't get away with swearing at the top of your lungs in Queens St Mall, why should you be able to do it unison with hundreds of families within earshot? I can understand frustration, like "F***! how did they miss that!!!" but it crosses the line when it becomes part of a chant. Think up something intelligent, instead of going "your S*** arrrggghhhh!!!" after every goal kick the other team does. BORING!
Roon
Guest
Er, what's the difference between 'regulation' and 'law'? And exactly how does legislation enable this transformation? Finally, this is a sports opinion site. If you want to carry on spouting quasi-legal gibberish, go to Fox Sports or something...
Roon
Guest
Not if it's accidental or unintentional...
Bondy
Guest
I'll try to keep the theme rolling. The Pariah . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLjsN7FMQd0 .
f***ing thanks Bondy
Bondy
Guest
Art. I see the humourous elements to most of your articles and enjoy them. NATHAN f***ing F**.
apaway
Guest
Pat O'Shane rocks! Oh, hang on, sports site, gotta talk sport in case Rabbitz gets upset. Um, what about those Sea Eagles! Oh f#*&, that's a rugby league team, this is a football story. Um, go Wednesday...
Gary Russell-Sharam
Guest
What a silly overreaction to a law that was always in place but now doesn't have to go to the courts. I would think that there will be some sensibility used when the police issue fines for this bad behaviour. I swear as much as the next person but I don't go around yelling profanity at all and being objectionable and thats what this law is about. So this beat up about sporting arenas and bad language is just that. The fines are there so police can issue them without the messy court appearances, to me thats fine. All these people that think using profanity loudly in public and annoying most of the rest of society is normal should think about some education and use other words to describe the subject matter, but judging on the posts by some that are complaining about these fines there doesn't seem to be much in the way of education or courtesy to your fellow man.
Simmo
Guest
that's common assault
Axelv
Guest
That'll be $240!
Rabbitz
Roar Guru
Actually they were introduced as a trial in 2009. Which would normally have been introduced via regulation, as it avoids the Parliament processing a bill into law. (The Minister can create regulations almost at will, without reference to Parliament.) This new ammendment merely formalises the existing trial and therefore it needs to pass through Parliament so the Act can be ammended. For a Low Brow explanation and some facts and figures for everyone to rant about: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/hundreds-slapped-with-fines-in-swearing-offensive-20110531-1fea1.html
AUdas
Guest
No, they were only available under case law, they wre not regulations - you are just sprouting rubbish. Secondly I have always used them at the dinner table, school yard etc - in fact swearing is about as Australian as it gets.
Onlooker
Guest
How about that it provides the 'complainant' with some power to complain and be taken seriously. However, the lack of clear definition if that is the case, is interesting, as, does it perhaps give the Govt of the day to throw fines at people for using such 'offensive' language as "corrupt", "arrogant", "out of touch", "what do we want?"........I guess civil libertarians would warn this as a first step to censorship of 'free speech' in the non-print domain.