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What has the world come too? I was so ****ed off today, regarding my afternoon at the beach. My family and I headed off to the beach today, we set ourselves up in a good place and the two oldest sons headed for the water. My two littlies wanted to dig in the sand. They got out their bucket and spade and I got out my camera. 3 shots into the afternoon and next thing a surf lifesaver has come over to tell me that I cannot use a camera on a public beach. Even taking photos of my children is breaking the law. How dumb is this law�..how come we as a society allows such stupid laws to be passed through government/councils. I can understand them wanting to protect children from being exploited on the internet and such, but this also impacts on every person that carries a camera out in a public place�its against the law, to take a photo in a public place

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I'd look into this a little more. Where I live, you can take a photo in any public place--beach included. To me, this sounds a little like a lifegaurd making up his own rules. Talk to your local police and ask them where it is legal to take photos. Explain to them what happened and ask if you were in the wrong.

Keep us posted on this

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his makes for interesting reading


The Australian IT, 31/01/05
THE proliferation of cameras in mobile phones is set to force all states to agree to tough national privacy safeguards.
The move comes as the Beattie Government foreshadowed new child pornography laws following the furore over a Brisbane website that published hundreds of photographs of children without their permission.
Queensland Attorney-General Rod Welford told The Australian yesterday all state attorneys-general agreed that the privacy challenges posed by technological advances in mobile phones and the internet had to be tackled.
In NSW, community outrage over the suspicious photographing of children at beaches and surf carnivals has prompted a local government push to ban cameras from Bondi Beach.
Waverley Council's deputy mayor, George Newhouse, is proposing that cameras, including mobile phone cameras, be banned from the children's pool at Bondi, parks, changerooms and other areas where children play. The council ban on cameras would also cover Tamarama and Bronte beaches, as well as kindergartens, schools and parks.
He expected the attorneys-general would agree on national standards for child pornography offences.
Mr Welford is reviewing Queensland legislation, which provides penalties of up to 10 years' jail for producing child pornography and up to five years for possession. Under the law, photographs of children are illegal if they have a sexual connotation and could be regarded as offensive by a reasonable adult.

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OMG thats terrible I cant blame you for being angry. I take my camera to the beach all the time and photograph my daughter. I am in Brisbane and have not heard of this happening before.

I can understand why they need to tighten up laws to protect children but I think that this is going too far.

Take care
Dawn

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I know I am in another country but.....
As a teacher I can see protecting children BUT this is overboard. I love taking pictures of my children when we go to the beach. I take many pictures of my students ~parents have filled out permission forms.
Too many times governments do a knee jerk response.

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Be aware it is only a very very few areas in Australia that have these anally retentive laws, Queensland seems the worst from what my sister who lives there tells me.Ive not seen it here, I have shot photos at the beach of kids, lifesavers etc. I think the only time people would worry is if you were taking shots of young girls and you were so obvious. I heard about this stupid law on TV and most parents will ignore it.

__________________
aladyforty

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