It is expected that new anti-assisted suicide legislation will pass "straight through" the House of Representatives and the Senate.   Also new, anyone soliciting  suicide material on the Internet will face fines up to $120,000.  Dr Nitschki says "the fine will not just be for the act of placing material on the Internet but also include the preparation of material for the Net for the purpose of assisting someone with suicide. You cannot even prepare information in Australia and then go overseas to place that on a website. We would have to relocate." " Mr Nitschke said the Family First party had called for jail terms for those assisting with suicide."  Australia's Internet censorship also includes child pornography - "Possessing, controlling, producing, supplying or obtaining child pornography material for use through a carriage service" and "Defences in respect of child pornography material" and  "child abuse materials"  Penalty: Imprisonment for 10 years

                CHN has included Crimes Legislation Amendment (Telecommunications Offences and Other Measures) Bill 2004 on this page.        

By SUELLEN HINDE
October 31, 2004

RIGHT-to-die advocate Dr Philip Nitschke believes the Coalition's overwhelming election victory will signal the end of euthanasia organisations in Australia.

And he believes within a year, the Government will pass laws imposing fines of up to $120,000 for those providing information on assisted suicide.

Before the election the Federal Government proposed legislation -- the Telecommunications and Other Measures Bill 2004 -- which contained a section to limit information about assisted-suicide on the Internet.

But opposition to the Bill saw the suicide material separated into its own Bill, now known as the Criminal Code Amendment (Suicide Related Material Offences) Bill 2004, and referred to the Constitutional and Legal Committee of the Australian Senate.

However, because of the federal election, the committee hearings were cancelled.

Mr Nitschke believes the Coalition victory and the rise of the Family First party will see that new anti-assisted suicide legislation pass "straight through" the House of Representatives and the Senate.

"I guess it might not happen until the new Senate next year but it will go straight through," he said.

"And it will mean that our information service will be forced to move offshore as previously feared. I have never seen this sort of effective Internet censorship.

"The $120,000 fine will not just be for the act of placing material on the Internet but also include the preparation of material for the Net for the purpose of assisting someone with suicide. You cannot even prepare information in Australia and then go overseas to place that on a website. We would have to relocate."

Mr Nitschke said the Family First party had called for jail terms for those assisting with suicide.

"We feel like we are under even greater attack from people strongly opposed to euthanasia," he said.

"We feel fairly pessimistic."

Northern Territory News

Source: http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,11240755%5E13569,00.html