Obama `assassination plot`

Obama `assassination plot`	26.08.2008

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"CHILD sex abuse cases are clogging Queensland's court system"enough said......childrens protection is more important then artistic freedom
Posted by: Bob 5:33pm today

To all those rambling on about cars for psychopaths, bible bashing, freedom of speech, fear and other irrelevant rubbish: One question only. What's a photo of a 6 year old girl posing nude doing on the cover of a publicly available magazine? Don't you find it at least a little strange and distasteful and unnatural? Just somehow WRONG?
Posted by: marty of melbourne 4:52pm today

Any politician that finds this image offensive should stand down from their position as the holding such a view would surely indicate paedophilic tendencies. To see sexuality in the image does indeed bring into question the sexual orientation of the individual doing the viewing.
Posted by: Michael of Townsville 4:51pm today

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Brendan Nelson to call police over nude child cover
Girl in photo says she is `proud of shot`
Father says family has no regrets about shot

FEDERAL Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson says he will ask police to investigate whether an art magazine broke the law when it used a photograph of a naked six-year-old girl on its cover.

Using the photograph sent a "two-fingered salute" to the rest of Australia, Dr Nelson said today.

He would ask police to investigate whether Art Monthly magazine had broken any laws by publishing the 2003 image of Melbourne girl Olympia Nelson on its July cover and two shots inside.

The magazine`s editors said the images were chosen as a protest against the recent furore over similar pictures by artist Bill Henson.

But Dr Nelson said the editors did not understand the way the images could be used by pedophiles.

"The use and sexualisation of children in this way is indefensible, whether in the name of art, parental consent or political protest," he said.

"It is absolutely essential that we stand up to this. What these people have done in this publication and using the photographs of this child in this way is send a two-fingered salute to the rest of society.

"I will be asking the police authorities to investigate whether there is any breach of the law as it stands by publication of these photographs.

"It`s also obvious that there needs to be a review of the national classifications systems."

Dr Nelson said there had been many ways in which children had been used by earlier generations that would not be defended today.

"And whilst it is very hard to define explicitly where it is appropriate or not appropriate to use children in this way, I think most Australians would accept this is not appropriate," he said.

"And that the child concerned defends the photographs in my view merely compounds what has happened."

Child proud of photo

Olympia, now 11, said she did not believe the photograph amounted to abuse and was upset with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who said he hated the shot.

The shot of Olympia was taken in 2003 by her mother, Melbourne photographer Polixeni Papapetrou.

"I`m really, really offended by what Kevin Rudd had to say about this picture," Olympia said outside her Melbourne home today, where she was accompanied by her father, The Age art critic Robert Nelson.

"I love the photo so much. It is one of my favourites, if not my favourite photo, my mum has ever taken of me and she has taken so many photos of me.

"I think that the picture my mum took of me had nothing to do with being abused and I think nudity can be a part of art."

Prof Nelson said the family had no regrets. The photograph was a great work of art and there was nothing pornographic about it, he said.

"(It) has nothing to do with pedophilia. The connection between artistic pictures and pedophilia cannot be made and there is no evidence for it. No one`s producing any science," he said.

"People are losing their cool over this matter."

He said the magazine cover was "a risk worth taking".

"I think we have to defend the dignity of children`s nudity ... otherwise we are in for a culture where you can`t expose children in any circumstance because someone might take some joy in looking at their bodies."

The magazine has been criticised by politicians and child protection advocates.

Bravehearts executive director Hetty Johnston said artistic merit should not override the rights and protection of a child, and called for clearer laws on the issue.

"When those two things collide we have to err with the children, it has to be in the best interests of the children," Ms Johnston said on Channel 9 today.

"We need to put a line in the sand because clearly some of those in the arts world can`t do that and say this is where you don`t go, this is a no go zone."

NSW Community Services Minister Kevin Greene said he would refer the magazine to the classification board.

The head of photography at the Australian National University (ANU) said the magazine had a duty to cover the Bill Henson saga.

"The original Bill Henson photographs have been found to be OK," Martin Jolley said on ABC radio.

"These are significant works of arts and they`re contributors to the national conversation about the world that we are creating for our children.

"If you are the editor of a magazine which is meant to be reporting on Australian art ... you would be derelict in your duty if you didn`t actually discuss the debate."

Police seized a number of Henson`s photographs featuring near-naked or naked children from a Sydney art gallery recently but they were returned without charges being laid.

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