If passed by parliament, the new law, which includes commercial vehicles and RVs, could spell the end of offensive slogans and advertising used by companies such as Wicked Campers.
Wicked Campers, which is a Queensland-registered company, has long come under fire for sexist, derogatory and obscene slogans plastered across its nation-wide fleet of rental campervans, popular with backpackers and budget campers.
Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the Queensland Government would introduce the legislation after listening to community concern about inappropriate advertising on vehicles.
“With this legislation, vehicles registered in Queensland that display sexist, obscene or otherwise offensive advertising will face the prospect of having their registration cancelled,” the premier said.
It won’t be quite that simple in practice, however. Under the new laws, the Advertising Standards Board will have to determine if a slogan or an ‘ad’ on a Queensland-registered vehicle needs to be removed or modified. The owner would then have a chance to make the required changes and, if the changes are not made, the registration of the offending vehicle will be cancelled.
The laws, if passed, will only apply to vehicles registered in Queensland, leaving a loophole open for the practice to continue on vehicles registered elsewhere. While Wicked Campers is registered in Queensland, not all of its vehicles have Queensland plates.
However, Queensland Minister for Main Roads, Road Safety and Ports and Minister for Energy, Biofuels and Water Supply Mark Bailey said the government was working with other states and territories to promote a consistent national approach to the issue.
“Targeting these sexist, misogynistic and inappropriate slogans through registration cancellation has been an innovative solution,” Mr Bailey said.
The new legislation will be known as the Transport Operations (Road Use Management) (Offensive Advertising) Amendment Bill 2016.