| The Writer in a Time of Terror
Frank Moorhouse
(Griffith Review)
Judges report
Moorhouse engages in a disciplined and nuanced discussion of freedom of expression in an age of global terror and frames it with a consideration of Sir Robert Menzies’ attempt to ban the Communist Party in the 1950s, and the morals censorship of the 1960s that prohibited the import of books and performances such as Portnoy's Complaint and Oh! Calcutta. Moorhouse catalogues in detail disturbing incidents of Federal Government raids on the homes and offices of writers and publishers, the seizure and destruction of their computers, and the subsequent pressure put on them to sign non-disclosure agreements to maintain the secrecy of the raids. Discussing the apparent intimidation of intellectuals and wide-ranging censorship including the closing down of websites and banning of texts, Moorhouse deduces a series of maxims that strike a balance between freedom of expression and the State’s responsibility to protect its citizens from terrorism. |
