Australia Bans Pornography and Alcohol for Aborigines

CANBERRA, Australia — Australian Prime Minister John Howard announced regulations to ban pornography and alcohol to Aborigines in certain areas of the Northern Territories. The Australian Commonwealth seized control of 60 Aboriginal communities in an attempt to control what Howard called a child sex abuse crisis among them.

Hardcore pornography was found to be pervasive in the Aboriginal communities and easily accessible by children, who were then desensitized to sexual behavior by being exposed to explicit materials. Planned regulations call for a ban on adult materials, including monitoring of publicly funded computers to ensure no sexual content was downloaded or stored on them.

“This is a national emergency,” Howard told the Australian Parliament on Thursday. “We're dealing with a group of young Australians for whom the concept of childhood innocence has never been present.”

An Associated Press article reported that Howard was responding to a commissioned report released last week that said there is rampant child abuse in indigenous communities in the Northern territories, including juvenile prostitution. The report blamed alcoholism, unemployment and poverty as causes behind the abuse.

Howard said that the Commonwealth was intervening in reaction to the Northern Territories’ government failure to address the situation.

Northern Territories Chief Minister Clare Martin said she was happy to work with the federal government but said it was “utter rubbish” that her government had been slow to act.

In addition, the report stated that alcohol abuse helps to create an environment of neglect and opportunity for pedophiles to take advantage of children. A ban on the sale, transportation and possession of alcohol on Aboriginal land would be in effect and reviewed after six months.

Tighter control over welfare assistance to the Aborigines would also be implemented, according to Howard. He announced increased numbers of police, mandatory health screenings for Aboriginal children and changes to a permit system controlling access to Aboriginal land.

Restrictions on welfare funding would require at least half of welfare payments given to Aborigines to be spent on food and other necessities, and welfare funding given to families would be tied to children’s school attendance.

In order to enact the new policy, Howard would need an act of Parliament; he controls a majority of Parliament and is expected to implement the new laws. Under the control of Australia’s federal government, the new regulations would apply to half of the Northern territories where 60,000 indigenous people live.

Howard urged leaders in six other Australian states to institute similar restrictions.

Aboriginal leaders quickly denounced the plan as “paternalistic” and warned that it could potentially violate federal laws against discrimination. Other leaders and activists accused the regulations of being governmental action that would further disenfranchise indigenous communities.

“I'm absolutely disgusted by this patronizing government control,” said Mitch, who was quoted in the AP article under one name. She is a member of a government board that helps Aborigines taken from their parents under previous assimilation laws.

“If they're going to do that, they're going to have to do that with every single person in Australia, not just black people,” she said.

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

CORRECTION: Pornhub to Remain Live in Ohio, Despite AV Law

Pornhub parent company Aylo will not block access to its websites in Ohio, despite new state age verification rules that came into effect Sept. 30.

Pineapple Support, Pornhub to Host 'ADHD-Friendly' Support Group

Pineapple Support and Pornhub are hosting a free online support group for performers with ADHD.

Judge Dismisses Some Claims in 'Children of Pornhub' Trafficking Suit

A United States district judge on Friday dismissed some but not all claims against Aylo in a long-running case involving CSAM allegations featured in the influential 2020 New York Times article “The Children of Pornhub.”

Pornhub Shuts Down Access in Ohio Over Age Verification

Aylo began geoblocking Pornhub across the state of Ohio on Tuesday, as the state’s age verification law goes into effect.

FSC Sets Key Dates, Qualifiers for December Board of Directors Election

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) today announced key dates and qualifiers for its upcoming Board of Directors election.

RedGIFs Launches New 'Studio' Creator Platform

RedGIFs has launched its new Studio creator platform.

Arcom to Expand AV Enforcement to Smaller Adult Sites

The president of French media regulator Arcom revealed on Thursday that the agency plans to escalate its enforcement of age verification rules to include smaller adult sites, starting in late 2025 or early 2026.

AEBN Publishes Report on MILF, Cougar Trends

AEBN has published a report on MILF and Cougar categories from its straight theaters.

Pornhub to Shut Down Access in Arizona Over Age Verification

Aylo will geoblock Pornhub across Arizona starting Sept. 26, when the state’s age verification law, HB 2112, goes into effect.

Flirtback Embraces Crypto With Zcash Payments

Creator platform Flirtback has launched its Zcash (ZEC) crypto payment solution.

Show More