SYDNEY — Visitors to Australia now have another question to answer in addition to declaring whether they are carrying any firearms, weapons or illicit drugs. Are they bringing in any pornography?
The additional query was introduced in September 2009, Customs said Friday, adding that it was designed to pick up prohibited items such as child pornography at the border.
But the Australian Sex Party described it as a "monstrous invasion of people's privacy" which would leave the laptops and mobile phones of anyone entering the country open to scrutiny.
"If you and your partner have filmed or photographed yourselves making love in an exotic destination or even taking a bath, you will have to answer 'Yes' to the question or you will be breaking the law," president Fiona Patten said.
The change means that travellers must declare X-rated erotic material that is legal in Australia and potentially have these items examined by Customs officers, she said.
"Is it fair that Customs officers rummage through someone's luggage and pull out a legal men's magazine or a lesbian journal in front of their children or their mother-in-law," Patten asked.
Customs said many items of pornography were legitimately bought, possessed and viewed and these items would be returned to the passenger.
But offensive material containing child pornography, bestiality, explicit sexual violence and graphic degradation needed to be detected.
"The inclusion of the question on the passenger card is intended to give a traveller the opportunity to declare adult material if they are uncertain as to whether their material would be deemed prohibited," a Customs statement said.
"Declaring the goods will minimise any action that would be considered against someone possessing such goods, unless it involves child pornography."
Customs said the assessment of adult material would be done by officers trained to be tactful and discreet, and the question was only designed to pick up offensive items. Link
