A quick flash: a disturbing piece on censorship by David Marr in the SMH this morning. In its ceaseless quest to backpedal to the 1950s (and possibly Stalinist Russia), the Federal Government is seeking to tighten the laws to "ban material for the impact it might have on the mentally impaired". Which is to say: any work that could possibly inspire any mentally ill person to commit a violent act would be banned. As Marr points out, this could cover anything from Beethoven to South Park.

This is part of a wider campaign to ban work that "advocates" terrorism. Whatever that means. (Part of the problem is that nobody really knows: newspapers claim, for example, that publishing an article about Nelson Mandela would be illegal under these laws). Similar laws proposed in the UK caused such a fuss that they didn't go through.

Read this article. This legislation would impact seriously on artists. Taken in tandem with the Sedition Laws - which are already in place - it would add up to some of the most repressive laws against freedom of expression in the Western world. I think it's frightening: and frankly, when I look at this picture of Mohamed Haneef, I don't recognise this country.