G Media, the Australian company behind one of the web’s most popular adult websites, AbbyWinters.com, has been raided by Victoria police and it’s owner arrested. No charges have been laid.
According to The Herald Sun, computers containing footage of women allegedly performing explicit sex acts were seized by police because they are ‘illegal to produce in Victoria’. Under section 24 of the Victorian Classification (Publications, Films and Computer Games) (Enforcement) Act 199, a person must not, for the purpose of gain, make or produce an objectionable film.
What’s an objectionable film in Victoria?
Well that probably comes down to individual opinion more than anything, but the Act defines it as one that:
- describes, depicts, expresses or otherwise deals with matters of sex,
drug misuse or addiction, crime, cruelty, violence or revolting or
abhorrent phenomena in a manner that is likely to cause offence to a
reasonable adult; or - promotes, incites or instructs in matters of crime or violence; or
- is classified RC or X 18+ or would, if classified, be classified RC or
X 18+ or has been, or would be, refused approval, as the case
requires
Determining whether any of the content on Abby Winters is is objectionable will require lengthy review.
Other allegations:
Police are also investigating allegations that a model on the website was under age at time of filming. AbbyWinters displays a Title 18 USC § 2257 recording keeping compliance notice on their site and states all models are over 18 at the time of production, but The Herald Sun reports police have seen a copy of a driver’s licence of one G Media nude model, allegedly showing she was 17 when photographed.
What this means for the sites estimated 30 thousand paying members, especially those that reside Australia, I’m looking into. As of this evening AbbyWinters remains open.
The Herald Sun takes credit for the raids, suggesting they came after providing ‘police with a dossier of information about the allegedly illegal porn G Media, and companies associated with it, have churned out in Melbourne since about 2000.’
Despite a witch hunt by the same paper 2 years ago, Abby Winters remains well respected amongst the adult industry and consumers for presenting models in a positive and natural way.
Models respond:
One model posted on the site’s forum today that Abby Winters has been an amazing company with a lot of respect and strict protocols. Another said she arrived at Abby Winters headquarters at 8.30am Monday morning for her shoot and ‘walked right into the thick of it’. She said she was asked for her details, presumably by police.
Further comment is being sought.
Update: Garion Hall, director of G Media, has issued a statement.
26 comments
Jeremy says:
Jun 16, 2009
It’s also section 23 (the Act is from 1995, the end’s been cut off above).
IT still staggers me that we prohibit X18+ material, which is simply any depiction of ordinary sex, but if you crop out the genitals, then it’s R18+ and it can be sold. Why on Earth do we think we need to protect adults from seeing depictions of sex?
Jarrod says:
Jun 16, 2009
These are two completely separate issues at hand. One is they are raiding G Media for possessing “objectionable content” which according to Vic law mean X18+ Rated stuff, which i thought the cops agreed they wouldn’t being raiding adult stores in the states of AU for that reason.
The other issue is that they may be employing underage girls, which is quite a serious issue and if it turns out to be true, the raids were definitely justified.
Censorship law in Australia seriously need a big overhaul especially when pornographic material can only be legally sold in the territories. And the difference between RC and X18+ in porn is not clearcut according to the CB’s standards.
Max T says:
Jun 16, 2009
NO CENSORSHIP!!
Why can’t these sonsofbitches fecking LEARN?
NO NO NO NO No to ANY form of censorship.
Abby Winters owner Garion Hall issues statement - Somebody Think Of The Children says:
Jun 16, 2009
[...] The director of G Media, Garion Hall, has issued a statement about a police raid on his company this week. [...]
Legal adult websites blacklisted: AbbyWinters and The Hun banned - Somebody Think Of The Children says:
Jun 17, 2009
[...] Update June 16, 2009: Looking for news about the Abby Winters – G Media police raid? Click here. [...]
Victorian police (Gestapo) raid Abby Winters « Stormcentre says:
Jun 17, 2009
[...] coverage on Somebody Think of the Children. Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)Golden Sun DS trailer summons some [...]
Liandra Dahl says:
Jun 17, 2009
I am the “former nude model”, Liandra Dahl, that The Herald Sun has misquoted on two occasions now, 3rd December 2007 and 16th June 2009. I have reopened this blog with the sole purpose to explicitly deny any involvement with this most recent article and allegations by the Herald Scum…I mean Herald Sun. I made no comment about the allegations, in fact I knew nothing of them or the raids until my mother called me yesterday to say I was in the paper again. Whilst I, of course, would find it reprehensible IF underage models were ever used, I am ardently anti-censorship. I want no part in a campaign against the production of porn in Victoria. I do not want to be associated in any way with a puritanical witch hunt about what sexually explicit images the The Herald Sun thinks it is OK for consenting adults to perform or watch. FUCK! For that matter what fucking business is it of the Victorian Government if consenting adults want to fuck each other in whatever orifice they see fit, or in whatever fashion pleases them, and then put it on the internet for other adults to see. We are not the government’s children and it is not their fucking place to make these sorts of moral judgements about what consenting adults do sexually. If someone doesn’t like it, THEY DON”T HAVE TO LOOK AT IT! I also reckon it’s a safe bet that a good portion of the Herald Sun readers are already avid viewers of porn anyway.
IN FACT I THINK IT’S TIME FOR AN ANTI-CENSORSHIP RALLY IN MELBOURNE….Is anyone with me?
australianfilmreview says:
Jun 17, 2009
I would support that rally.
Rod Rye says:
Jun 17, 2009
It’s most certainly X18+ and some of it would be RC.
I don’t think it should be of course, but it’s really time to get the laws changed in preference to just objecting when they’re enforced.
Joey B says:
Jun 17, 2009
Liandra Dahl, you go girl! I fucking would support the rally big time! When I’m an adult I will be very pissed to be in a porn free country. You are my idol.
Go censorship rally!
fitzroyalty says:
Jun 18, 2009
For the latest on this see http://indolentdandy.net/fitzroyalty/2009/06/18/the-politics-of-porn-comment-from-inside-the-melbourne-adult-content-industry/
Iamcuriousblue says:
Jun 18, 2009
So let me get this straight – Victoria has legal brothel prostitution, but shoot an explicit sex video and you’re breaking the law? How does that even begin to make sense?
Ironically, its the exact opposite of the situation we have here in California and many other US states – porn is perfectly legal to shoot (as long as nobody is underage and it doesn’t meet the legal standard of “obscenity”), but prostitution is strictly prohibited.
AileenWuornos says:
Jun 18, 2009
This is fucking retarded. They’re worried about the children (allegedly) and they’re going on a raid for an erotica site that genuinely shows reciprocality, equality and genuine female pleasure?
Just fuck off. Miserable bunch of old bastards. Much, too angry honey.
G Thompson says:
Jun 18, 2009
So under the definition of the act (noting that the 3 conditions are OR not AND) this would then mean that such films as Underbelly et. al. would also be verboten, since they definitely fall under Subsection 1.
Then again most Aussie dramas be they TV series or Movie would also fall under ss1.
There goes Film Victoria.. Oh wait.. thats different.. they are all films and images that News Limited (Fox) have a stake in aren’t they? Maybe Mr Keith Moor should go on a witch hunt over them, though I suspect he would not be part of News limited for much longer if he did.
Fickenstein says:
Jun 18, 2009
Well the point of vague law is primarily to confuse people under scrutiny of the said law. It also aids in selective censorship.
Ana says:
Jun 19, 2009
It’s all about selling papers and hypocrisy. You can buy X rated porn in Canberra and NT, but anywhere else in Australia and it’s a big deal.
It’s the reason why I don’t have any online hosting accounts in Australia. The moral panic here, in regard to consensual adult sex and depictions thereof, is ridiculous
AbbyWinters Raid « Iamcuriousblue says:
Jun 19, 2009
[...] By iamcuriousblue H/T to Somebody Think Of The Children for the stories on the GMedia raid (link and link). Further commentary and background [...]
Ngaio says:
Jun 19, 2009
Saw a bumper sticker recently…
“Is that a fact, or did you read that in the Herald Sun?”
Mwahaha!
BrianF says:
Jun 20, 2009
“The Herald Sun reports police have seen a copy of a driver’s licence of one G Media nude model, allegedly showing she was 17 when photographed.”
This is an extremely serious allegation.
If this is true, then AbbyWinters.com should be shut down, G Media’s assets confiscated, and Garion Hall and anyone involved in the approval of the underage model should get lengthy prison sentences with hard labour, as a warning to others.
Iamcuriousblue says:
Jun 21, 2009
BrianF:
Hmmmm – not advocating having under-18 models in porn (you have to set the age limit somewhere), however, it does seem to be a little bit ridiculous that, on one hand, shooting porn with somebody on their 18th birthday is 100% legal, but, as you would have it, film somebody a few months before that and they should be sent to the Gulag. (Does Australia even *have* a sentence of “hard labor”?)
In any event, the allegation in question is pure bullshit, as is the rest the Herald Sun story. Keith Moor, the Herald-Sun author read Liandra Dahl’s blog (which noted that some Abby Winters “look young”), exaggerated everything what was said there, and went to the police with charges and kept on them until they raided G Media. The police have promptly found nothing to substantiate Moor’s accusations.
I have serious doubts, in fact, about whether most of what was reported in the Herald-Sun story took place at all. I think Moor simply went to the police with the charges, learned of the police raid, then reported what he *thought* the police were going to do, rather than waiting to cover the event after it transpired.
I think Moor has violated journalistic ethics on a very fundamental level and if anybody should be targeted for legal action, it’s him. I think he’s guilty, criminally, of filing a false police report, and civilly, of libel.
So, anyway, Brian, I think you need to put down the torch and pitchfork and find your villains elsewhere.
Keeper says:
Jun 21, 2009
Australian politicians are hypocrites. They are bad-mouthing other “unfree” countries while Australia is nearly the same. Country can’t be called “free” if it’s prohibiting filming a film which shows consenting adults during sexual activity.
Sex.com.au says:
Jun 23, 2009
As a leading voice for the Australian adult industry, we want to add our voice of support to AbbyWinters.com, in the hopes that the Victorian legal system will see through this obvious hatchet job.
http://www.sex.com.au/index.php/the-news/3-newsflash/992-abby-winters-police-raid
Australia’s 20 Worst Cases of Censorship and Moral Panic in 2009 - Somebody Think Of The Children says:
Jan 3, 2010
[...] popular Australian-operated adult website Abby Winters was raided by police in June 2009 after The Herald Sun provided police with ‘a dossier of information’ about the [...]
GJ says:
Jan 26, 2010
I want to know what AW pays the girls for an “average” fotoshooting. May be this will finally explain to me why young educated women present themselves in a pornographic way.
Thomas says:
Jan 29, 2010
@ GJ, a lot of women enjoy knowing that people find them attractive, and are not ashamed about showing off their body or doing things that give them pleasure for film, and the pleasure of others.
james23 says:
Apr 12, 2011
It’s ok as long the nude model is over 18, and wants to do it as an art.