Conclusion
Australia
In conclusion, censorship in Australia is more relaxed compared to countries from the Middle East and Asia such as Bahrain and Singapore. In Australia, the federal government only bans materials that are unclassified by the Classification Board. However, as Australia is becoming more technologically advance in terms of the Internet, more online materials that are considered harmful to the Australian society have the potential to spread across multiple online platforms due to them being easily accessible online and the effect of media convergence. Hence, the federal government is taking steps to increase restrictions on certain sites and improve the Internet filtering system. In addition, severe punishment are given to those that break the law for possessing, distributing and publicising unclassified material.
Singapore
In conclusion, it is clear that Singpapore holds a very conservative stance and this is evident in the media. Content that is racially, religiously and morally sensitive is taboo in Singapore and media professionals who want to set foot in the industry shold steer clear of these topics to avoid run ins with the law. While morally sensitive topics will be given some consideration depending on the severity of the content, Religiously and racially sensitive content will be outrightly banned and any unauthorised content on any form of media will result in severe punishments. Also any politically sensitive topics criticizing Lee Kuan Yew and his family or the government is also considered extremely sensitive and is prohibited on all forms of media. The punishment for the making of unauthorised content containing these two topics will result in hefty fines and jail sentences of up to 2 years.
In conclusion, censorship in Australia is more relaxed compared to countries from the Middle East and Asia such as Bahrain and Singapore. In Australia, the federal government only bans materials that are unclassified by the Classification Board. However, as Australia is becoming more technologically advance in terms of the Internet, more online materials that are considered harmful to the Australian society have the potential to spread across multiple online platforms due to them being easily accessible online and the effect of media convergence. Hence, the federal government is taking steps to increase restrictions on certain sites and improve the Internet filtering system. In addition, severe punishment are given to those that break the law for possessing, distributing and publicising unclassified material.
Singapore
In conclusion, it is clear that Singpapore holds a very conservative stance and this is evident in the media. Content that is racially, religiously and morally sensitive is taboo in Singapore and media professionals who want to set foot in the industry shold steer clear of these topics to avoid run ins with the law. While morally sensitive topics will be given some consideration depending on the severity of the content, Religiously and racially sensitive content will be outrightly banned and any unauthorised content on any form of media will result in severe punishments. Also any politically sensitive topics criticizing Lee Kuan Yew and his family or the government is also considered extremely sensitive and is prohibited on all forms of media. The punishment for the making of unauthorised content containing these two topics will result in hefty fines and jail sentences of up to 2 years.