A protection we cannot afford to lose

Aay haay, kya baat hai, meri gulabo sundari! Meri badami barfi! What a romantic story you have told meyou have gotten me so excited that I just had to go and read a Harlequin romance just to get my satisfaction. Now, here is the start of your prem kahani. Your hero, your jigri dost, your bachpan ka saathi, the one who knows you better than any other friend, and who happens to be gorgeous, smart, kind and sweet, gave you a look. How lucky you are, you

Playing The Market

Australians value freedom of expression but laws against hate speech are still essential

BY mATT KeAN

Australia is a country of great diversity. You can see it in the faces of the people that you work with. You can see it in the restaurants that line the main streets of our towns. And you can see it in the variety of religious and cultural events celebrated around the country: Chinese New Year, Diwali, Hanukkah, Ramadan and Christmas to name a few.

A flourishing society also requires more than just freedom of speech; it requires security, stability, a just legal system and a vibrant economy.

the mentor and the protegee together. Saif and the very fine and confident debutant Rohan Mehra just don’t have enough scenes together. In fact Rohan builds a better bond with Saif’s screenwife Chitrangda Singh in just one scene where the teary-eyed protegee tells his mentor’s wife that sometimes you just need to give the one you love a tight slap. The written word seldom gets to be conveyed with such unvarnished directness in commercial Hindi cinema where everyone either talks florid or over-casual.

A flourishing society requires more than just freedom of speech; it requires security, stability, a just legal system and a vibrant economy zaalima! How you didn’t return the look straightaway and decide to spend another week in India and the flight to Sydney be damned, is beyond me. So, all of us want to have as a partner someone who is our best friend, first and foremost. It seems you already have this. And then, the icing on the cake is that he started proceedings with a look. So my dear sharmilee, the ball is in your court. Yes, you have to say something. At least give it a red hot Aussie, that’s the least you can do. So the next time he posts a picture of himself on My Face or whatever social media you kids use nowadays, you can post a complimentary comment. Say you wish you were there. Say something that invites interest. And for god’s sake, don’t be cryptic - because being mysterious got no one anywhere fast. So yes, you have my blessing to proceed with haste. And if you really don’t know what to say to start this prem katha, then how about this line: “I want you to look at me again like you did that day”. Don’t forget to invite me to shaadi, nah - I’ll be in Delhi in

That is why freedom of speech is not absolute. In this country, it is criminal to disclose secrets which risk the lives of Australian soldiers. It is likewise a crime for a corporate executive to disclose market sensitive information to his mates. The law protects us from slander and protects privileged comments made to our lawyers.

In Baazaar the emotions are tightly reined-in as caustic vitriolic conversations are let loose with not a care about who’s eavesdropping.

My favourite line, and the one that says it all about Shakun Kothari, is the one in the run-down Gujarati bhojanalaiya. “You think I come here because I love the food? No, the food is terrible! But it helps me never forget where I came from.”

However, the treatment of the Aboriginal peoples in this country stands as a chilling reminder that tolerance has not always been embraced. The Cronulla riots similarly him - a very dangerous ambition to have. And who knows this better than Rizwan’s wife Chitrangda Singh, who in

As a society, we recognise that these restrictions do not hurt our democracy or way of life. Indeed, we understand that they are necessary to maintain it. And laws against hate speech are no less necessary, because racism and bigotry tear at the heart of our social fabric.

Racism and bigotry leave people feeling exiled in their own home. They do not improve the quality of public debate nor do they assist the wise humiliate or intimidate another person or a group of people” if “the act is done because of the race, colour or national or ethnic origin of the other person”.

The brilliance of the line is never forgotten in a morality tale that never pushes its righteousness into our face. In fact I suspect the very assured debutant director Gauravv K. Chawla actually enjoys his grey protagonist’s amorality.

(Nikhil Advani, Parvez Sheikh, Aseem Arora) is that it takes its time in bringing colleague makes space for herself. In a way she tokenizes the film’s morality. In today’s times you have to push your way revive memories of past wrongs.

Family Dispute Resolution

There is no doubt that freedom of speech is important but it is important because of the role it plays in our democracy. Freedom of speech ensures that when you or I go to the ballot box we can make an informed decision about who to vote for.

Know Thyself as Soul

pain of racially justified persecution. Examples such as slavery in the United States and the Holocaust are well known. In recent times, the world has seen genocides in Rwanda and Bosnia, while today in North Korea persecution is justified by racial supremacy.

Going through a separation? Having trouble managing a difficult relationship? Broadmeadows Family Relationship Centre can help. At Broadmeadows Family Relationship Centre we support separated families to establish parenting, financial and property agreements. Mediation facilitated by a neutral and accredited practitioner can help families deal with separation, manage relationships, improve communication and support children to thrive after separation.

You are a soul of a permanent unchangeable nature, and if you would live as a soul, you would never be affected or changed by outer changes.

We welcome families from all cultural and linguistic backgrounds and provide interpreters and support workers to help families from diverse backgrounds through this challenging phase in their lives.

restrictions on free speech do not hurt our democracy or way of life. Indeed, we understand they are necessary to maintain it. And laws against hate speech are no less necessary, because racism and bigotry tear at the heart of our social fabric

Level 1, Building 2, 1100 Pascoe Vale Road, Broadmeadows, VIC, 3047

Freedom of speech is necessary so that as a community, we can debate political ideas and so that individuals can have a say on decisions that affect them.

Sant Baljit Singh

Section 18C ensures that everyone has a role to play in that debate.

-Sant

For more information on how we can help you, please contact:

Baljit Singh

(03) 9351 3700 info@broadmeadowsfrc.org.au

Nurture your spiritual life through meditation on the inner Light (Jyoti) and Sound (Naad) and realise your true self. All events are free. for further information

1800 462 193 www.knowthyself.org mackillop.org.au/FRC

Together, we have built a vibrant, rich and diverse society. A society not focused on the differences between us, but founded on the strengths our differences afford us. Section 18C stands, not as a threat to freedom of speech, but as a protector of the purposes which that freedom serves, and as a guard to an achievement exceptional in this time and rare in times before.

Matt Kean is the Member for Hornsby and Parliamentary Secretary for Communities.