Video Game-Hating, Anonymous Commenter-Hating South Australian Attorney General Steps Down

from the bye-bye dept

Mon, Mar 22nd 2010 6:28pm — Mike Masnick

Ah, remember Michael Atkinson? He's the Attorney General in South Australia who was vehemently against allowing adults in Australia to play adult-rated video games. Among his rather recent list of hits were his pushing through legislation that banned anonymous comments in online political forums during election time. After lots out outcry about this, he backed down, promising not to enforce it, and also that he'd repeal it after the election (which struck many as being a bit presumptuous). Of course, none of that stopped him from demanding $20,000 from a commenter on a website who called Atkinson a "crook." And, of course, he recently claimed that video gamers were a threat to his family. Great guy.

Well, it looks like South Australia won't be having to deal with him for now. He's standing down as attorney general, though it looks like he's going to stay in Parliament for a while.

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

Filed Under: australia, michael atkinson

17 Comments

If you liked this post, you may also be interested in...

Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread

thublihnk (profile), 22 Mar 2010 @ 6:41pm

Yahtzee's going to throw a f*cking parade. Boy, this is a good day.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
BearGriz72 (profile), 22 Mar 2010 @ 6:48pm

Great News!
One moron down Several hundred left to go...
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 22 Mar 2010 @ 6:52pm

Re: Great News!
You spelled "thousand" incorrectly.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 22 Mar 2010 @ 6:59pm

video games a threat
i see
so this guy has paranoid delusions with a manic depressive/mania and he is in position of power and trust?

gee, is this what happened to democracy?
tousand
tousand
tousand
tousand
does this bother you LOL
its like a neat freak crack addict

I HAS TO HAVE IT ALL SPELT PWOPERLY
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 22 Mar 2010 @ 7:03pm

Re: video games a threat
*Whoosh*
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Jaws4theRevenge, 22 Mar 2010 @ 7:25pm

Re: Re: video games a threat
You, Sir, win the grand sum of 6 internets for making me literally laugh out loud.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Rick, 22 Mar 2010 @ 7:27pm

Huh?
How can you be both the attorney general and in Parliament?

Are australians really that dense to elect someone like him to be his own boss?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
CJ, 22 Mar 2010 @ 7:37pm

Re: Huh?
Yes Australians are really dense. This guys been around for a while and is just really annoying.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 22 Mar 2010 @ 7:49pm

Where as those American politicians are all highly intellectual people? What was the name of that guy who was running America not so long ago???
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Chargone (profile), 22 Mar 2010 @ 7:52pm

Re: Huh?
technically, his boss would be the Monarch, actually, i believe. it's not so much that he's answering to himself as that he's occupying two equivalent slots on the organizational chart.

or at least, i suspect that of being the case. Not actually an Australian, there may be details i'm missing.

still, being both at once is problematic sounding for other reasons.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Random Aussie, 22 Mar 2010 @ 8:28pm

Re: Re: Huh?
State Attorney General is a ministerial post not an 'I'm a lawyer' post.
So he got elected as a local member of parliament for his state, South Australia.

Since his party won, they got to decide who got what posts and he got SAG.

He reports to the Premier of S.A, who reports to the public, every four years :) Actually back to the upper and lower houses of elected officials.

There is also a Governor of the state, who is the Queens representative and has mostly ceremonial functions but technically asks a member of parliament to 'form a goverment' after each election (Usually the leader of the majority party or coalition). This means he can dissolve a government at any time but can't remove a member of parliament. He could theoretically ask Joe Bloggs independant from nowhere to be the Premier but the house would pass a vote of no-confidence and the state would have to have a general election.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Jaisn, 22 Mar 2010 @ 8:59pm

Re: Re: Re: Huh?
ooooh I get it, just like what happened in Star Wars right?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Nastybutler77 (profile), 22 Mar 2010 @ 9:11pm

Confidence fail
There is a poll on the last link's site asking, "Are you happy that Michael Atkinson will no longer be South Australia's Attorney-General?" More than 95% say "Yes" as of this posting. I guess not enough people who voted in that poll vote in the only poll that effects how he got his job in the first place.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Random Aussie (profile), 22 Mar 2010 @ 10:40pm

Re: Confidence fail
True,

But apparently there was a 14.5% swing against him in his seat.
That's a huge margin swing in Australian politics and goes some way to explain, but not excuse, his arrogance.

He HAD an incredibly safe seat.

He is going back to being a backbencher now so he just gets a vote like everybody else and no veto or say on the ratings stuff anymore.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Bullpine (profile), 23 Mar 2010 @ 5:31am

Anonymous
I don't know this guy and how much of a jerk he is but anyone posting anonymous and defaming comments about others is a COWARD.
Signed,
Anonymous
[ link to this | view in thread ]
yozoo, 23 Mar 2010 @ 6:24am

throw the bums out!
"Among his rather recent list of hits were his pushing through legislation that banned anonymous comments in online political forums during election time. "

Isnt Australia a democracy, he didnt create this law through executive fiat I would assume, so it seems that Australia should have a whole bunch of politicians to get rid of . . . assuming they want to be taken seriously as a free thought country.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 23 Mar 2010 @ 8:55am

Adults should not be allowed to play adult rated video games.
Adults should not be allowed to play adult rated board games.
Adults should not be allowed to play adult rated card games.
Adults should not be allowed to watch adult rated movies.
Adults should not be allowed to watch adult rated TV shows.
Adults should not be allowed to hear adult rated music.
It's for their own good dontcha know.
[ link to this | view in thread ]