Brian Ross wrote on Jun 4
th, 2021 at 5:35pm:
Yes and no. There is no right to Freedom of Speech in Australia. The Government can legislate to limit speech, as it has done in the past and impose censorship when ever it wants. There are also legal implications to the exercise of Freedom of Speech. The Government has no imposed censorship on Political commentary. These are things that most Australians do not understand.
You have a right to say whatever you want to say -- provided that you hold yourself accountable for the consequences of what you say. In Australia, if you are over the age of 16 years, you are legally responsible for the consequences of what you say. In a school yard, if you yell "fight, fight, fight" as you watch a fight take place, you can get suspended for inciting violence. If you shout a bunch of swear words in the presence of the general public (provided that other people are within hearing range), you can be charged with using offensive language. Television stations have had adult content and coarse language warnings at the start of movies for years. And television shows are getting prior warning notifications if their shows have coarse language used throughout the broadcast.
If you go about defaming someone or some business through some medium, it is quite reasonable that the offended party can take you to court for defamation. It is also the reason why moderators in forums and social media have a legal duty to delete or prevent further publishing of content that violates the rights of other people.
You can say whatever you want to say. You just have to accept the legal consequences of what you say.