I know it when I see it

By Diogenes ( articles ) | Oct 27, 2010

If you haven’t traveled to Australia for a while, be prepared for a change. In the past, the card that visitors submitted to customs officials asked whether they were carrying pornography. Now the visitor is asked whether he has any illegal pornography.

You see the problem, don’t you? How does a visitor, unfamiliar with Australian law, know whether his own private stash of porn is illegal?

Don’t worry; the enlightened Aussie government—in the person of Home Minister Brendan O’Connor—recognizes your predicament and is ready to help.

“My advice to travellers is that if you’re in doubt-- find out,’’ Mr O’Connor said.?‘‘Customs officers operate with discretion and the penalties for failing to declare a prohibited import are steep.”

What could be simpler? You just show your smutty magazines, and the jpeg files on your computer, and the customs officer will render an expert opinion. You’re covered—even if the women in those pictures aren’t.

If you’re an Australian customs official, you may now be exposed to pornography, whether or not you like it. It’s part of your job: making the respectable users of legal pornography welcome.