THE BALLOON’S UP

Maybe you thought I was joking when several times recently I have described Melbourne as Suppression Capital of Australia. You won’t when I tell you the latest one. Sixty Minutes was banned from showing a program on teenage suicide. Channel Seven this week was banned from showing a story about…. if I told you what it was about or even mentioned the name of the program I’d be in contempt of court.

As I said we are bombarded daily with streams of suppression orders from Magistrate’s Courts, County Courts and the Supreme Court.

 Some even threaten us if we even mention that the order even exists. And that’s why trials go merrily along in secret, like in some Police state, and you are not even allowed to know the name of an accused murderer or drug dealer or child rapist. I thought justice not only had to be done but had to be ‘seen to be done’?

Anyway, I said Melbourne was Suppression City. Well, let’s extend it to the State of Victoria. In Wangaratta a judge has banned people from carrying white balloons as part in White Balloon Day. And banned any newspaper, radio station or TV station from covering White Balloon Day.

White Balloon Day is the day, September 8, to focus the nation’s attention to the victims of child sexual assault. It was started some years ago by Hetty Johnson, the founder of Bravehearts. They are a fantastic group of committed people and I have been proud to be guest speaker at their annual luncheon in Brisbane. The Wangaratta group is separate but they have similar goals.

In Wangaratta County Court Judge Michael McInerney has ruled that allowing people to hand out flyers or hold balloons, or report on the day, may affect an ongoing sexual assault case that is being heard in the area.

I kid you not. I guess if a soldier happens to be up on a charge on April 25 we should ban Anzac Day. Or if a footballer is on a charge (which is pretty likely these days) we should ban the Grand Final.

Is this a democracy or not? I’m off on sick leave next week for a minor operation but I’m tempted to get out of my sick bed and carry a white balloon down the Main Street of Wangaratta on Tuesday. This is Noddyland.

Friday, September 4, 2009

© Copyright Derryn Hinch 2009