Australians may have a love of plain speaking but new laws are set to curtail some of their more colorful language with police issuing on-the-spot fines for obnoxious swearing.
The country’s second most populous state Victoria approved new legislation last week under which police will be able to slap fines of up to Aus$240 (NT$7,365) on people using offensive words or phrases.
Victorian Attorney-General Robert Clark said the penalties, similar to those issued for speeding or parking illegally, would free up police time.
Photo: Reuters
照片：路透
“This will give the police the tools they need to be able to act against this sort of obnoxious behavior on the spot, rather than having to drag offenders off to court and take up time and money in proceedings,” he said.
But even the state’s top lawyer admitted to swearing sometimes.
“Occasionally I mutter things under my breath as probably everybody does,” he told Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) radio.
Photo: Reuters
照片：路透
“But this law is not targeted at that, it’s targeted at the sort of obnoxious, offensive behavior in public that makes life unpleasant for everybody else.”
(AFP)
澳洲人或許習慣直話直說，但新法令將限制他們說出一些較為花樣百出的言語，允許警察對說出引人反感髒話的人，可以現行犯處以罰鍰。
澳洲人口第二多的維多利亞省上週即通過新法案，警察根據此法案，將可對使用冒犯他人言詞的民眾，處以最高兩百四十元澳幣（新台幣七千三百六十五元）的罰鍰。
維多利亞檢察長羅伯特‧克拉克表示，這項類似開超速或違規停車罰單的處罰，可省去警察的時間。
他說，「這提供警察一個工具，在當下針對令人反感行為，採取制裁行動，而不是將違規者拖到法庭，並且花時間與金錢在訴訟程序上。」
但即便是省內最好的律師，也承認有時會罵髒話。
他告訴澳洲廣播公司說，「我偶爾私下小聲抱怨一些事情，可能就像其他人也會做的一般。」
他說，「不過此法律並不是針對（上述）的情形，而是鎖定在大庭廣眾做出令人反感、冒犯他人的行為，並且讓其他人在生活中感到不悅。」
（法新社／翻譯：林亞蒂）
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