Are they kidding?
Victorian Government orders banned corruption books
and CD's!
6 August 2000
Amazing, but true.
In June 2000 the Victorian Attorney
General Rob Hulls illegally banned the best-selling
corruption books Victoria Police Corruption
and Victoria Police Corruption – 2.
On 26 July this year, Hulls' own department formally ordered copies of
the books that they banned as well as the internationally acclaimed Corruption
Collection CD-Rom.
The order was submitted by the Department of Justice's Library Manager
Joan Harris using an order form downloaded from the internet site at www.smuggled.com/subvrb.htm
The order was made using a government approved American Express
card.
The irony is that in June this year booksellers and agents selling the
same books were told that if they continued to sell the books, they faced
legal proceedings, fines and jail.
Kotabi Pty Ltd has now written (again) to Rob
Hulls seeking an immediate lifting of the ban on sales of these books.
The company has said it will not supply Rob Hulls or his department any
copies of the books until he gives a written undertaking that neither the
company and/or its agents will be threatened, harassed, sued, etc, for
selling these same books to any and all takers.
In a statement the company said "While we'd like to take their money,
they have put us in a situation whereby we'd rather forgo the money rather
than risk further illegal threats and/or attempts to jail us or our agents
under false pretenses."
Meanwhile a number of bookshops and other people continue to sell the books
– in spite of the illegal threats. These people report sales have increased
as purchasers now have only limited numbers of places from where to buy
the books.
In one instance 40 books were sold on a single Saturday.
Author Raymond Hoser likens the situation to the East Germans trying to
stop people getting through the Berlin Wall in the 1970's … 'It just won't
work – too many people have got through already – Hulls cannot go out and
seize the thousands of books already in general circulation".
Meanwhile in the last week, the "Free Speech Committee" met and
has now thrown its support behind Kotabi Publishing in their attempts to
lift the unlawful ban on sales.
The ban on the books is in violation of the Trade Practices
Act, the Federal Constitution and the guaranteed rights of free
speech as ruled by the High Court, in contempt
of a Victorian Supreme Court Judgement dated 18 April
2000, the UN Declaration on Human Rights as ratified
by Australia and other laws.
A High Court ruling in 1999 and other parallel
court rulings in lower courts have shown that the allegation by Hulls and
his underlings that the books are in "contempt of court" is a
lie.
Further information, all supporting documents,
etc, can be downloaded from:
http://www.smuggled.com/MedRel48.htm
To view the order for the books by Rob Hulls' department – click
here.
To view the Kotabi Publishing response – click here.
E-mail your protest to the Australian government now simply by clicking here...
View the relevant letters, etc:-
ALLOW FOUR MINUTES TO DOWNLOAD EACH PAGE AS A JPEG
- Rob Hull's reply to Adam Anthony Zoccoli dated 8 March 2000.(one page)
- Dymocks Recall Notice dated 27 April 2000.(one page)
- VGS Letter to Dymocks Booksellers dated 2 June 2000.(one page)
- Collins booksellers recall notice of 13 June 2000(one page)
- Letter from Hoser to Rob Hulls dated 23 June 2000.(one page)
- VGS letter to Kirby Book Distributors dated 19 June 2000.(two pages)
- Hulls' dept. letter to Kotabi ordering books. (two pages)
Normal Websites (relevant documents, etc):
- Supreme Court Judgement of 18 April 2000.
- More on Adam Anthony Zoccoli.
- Download or view a picture of Rob Hulls, the man responsible for and who approved of the illegal banning of the books.
- Download or view a picture of Carlo Carli (MP) who actively supported the illegal ban of the books.
- High Court ruling/s on contempt.
- Letter to ACCC re ban.
- Rob Hulls' department orders banned books!
- Letter to Rob Hulls re his department's book orders.
- Letter to the United Nations Re ban.