In a bid to crack down on companies like Wicked Campers, the Queensland government has banned offensive and indecent advertisements will be outlawed on vans and vehicles.
State parliament passed the bill 2016 on Tuesday night in an effort to purge Queensland roads of offensive vehicles.
The legislation targets companies such as Wicked Campers, a Queensland-based company that has gained
Under the new law, an offending vehicle’s registration can be cancelled if the owners do not remove an offending slogan within 14 days of being advised to do so by the Advertising Standards Bureau’s (ASB) standards board.
Related reading
Libertarians say Wicked pushed boundaries
Opposition Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence spokeswoman, Ros Bates, said the slogans featured on Wicked Camper vans were “sickening and perverse”, and that the vans “promote rape, encourage sexism and incite violence and control”.
"[The slogans] include ‘it’s easier to apologise than ask for permission’, and ‘I can already imagine the gaffer tape on your mouth'," Ms Bates said.
The company, which is no stranger to courting controversy.
Wicked Camper vans have routinely drawn widespread criticism for featuring slogans such as, “In every princess there is a little slut who wants to try it just once”, and “Nice legs, what time do you they open”.
The ASB has attempted to censure the company in the past.
A 2015 ruling by the bureau found one if its slogans – “Fat girls are harder to kidnap!” – breached the Advertisers' Ethics Code.
However, until now, rulings handed down by the ASB were unenforceable.
Related reading
Tasmanian government seeks ban on Wicked Campers
Queensland Roads Minister, Mark Bailey, has called the new law an “innovative solution”, which would target “sexist, misogynistic and inappropriate slogans through registration cancellation”.
Queensland is the first state to take decisive legislative action against the company’s penchant for offensive slogans.
While NSW councils have voiced their disapproval of the slogans used by Wicked Camper vans in the past,
Federal crossbench Senator David Leyonhjelm has previously called the slogans “funny”, dismissing critics as “wowsers”.
A 2014 Queensland parliamentary committee Inquiry into sexually explicit outdoor advertising noted that “Wicked Campervans has a history of not complying with standards board determinations”.
SBS News has contacted Wicked Campers for their response to the new law but is yet to receive a response.
