Offensive slogans on vehicles such as Wicked Campers will be banned from SA roads under new laws

Wicked Campers, the campervan company that has shocked motorists with offensive slogans for years, will be banned in its current form. WARNING: Offensive language

* WARNING: Offensive language

Crude, sexist and offensive slogans emblazoned on motor vehicles will be banned under new legislation tabled in Parliament this week.

The major target of the amendments to the Motor Vehicle Act 1959 is Queensland company Wicked Campers, which was established in 2000.

The laws are likely to end a 10-year campaign by Australian governments to control the messages used on the campervans, which have been criticised by some as misogynistic, anti-environmental, and disrespectful to indigenous communities.

The Registrar of Motor Vehicles will have expanded powers to deregister or deny registration to vehicles that carry “obscene material”, but only after the owner is warned.

Transport Minister Corey Wingard said the strict approach will allow the frequent complaints made by members of the public to be acted upon.

“There is no place for this type of garbage in our community,” Minister Wingard said.

“That’s why we’ve taken action to ensure demeaning and disgusting slogans will no longer appear on vehicles driving around South Australia.”

“The vast majority of the complaints have been related to a company known as ‘Wicked Campers’.”

The Registrar will only act after the independent, non-government body Ad Standards deliberates over a complaint, which in the case of Wicked Campers it has since 2008 when the first complaint was made about the slogan; “Women are like banks – once you withdraw you loose interest”.

Queensland company Wicked Campers is the main target of the new law. PICTURE: JUSTIN BRIERTY

Some of the Wicked Campers with offensive slogans that have been banned PICTURE: ANNA ROGERS

Ad Standards has since been the go-to point for dozens of road-user complaints about other slogans up to October this year.

Mr Wingard said it received 14 complaints involving Wicked Campers vehicles in 2019 and 2020 to date with all complaints having been upheld.

In 2018, there were 47 complaints involving 20 Wicked Campers vehicles. Of those, 18 of the vehicles had complaints upheld.

In response to complaints and government action, company founder John Webb has frequently defended the slogans as free speech.

“Anybody who is familiar with our brand would probably know that we are strong proponents of free speech and pushing the limits of humour – we are a ‘cash for chaos’ kind of company,” he said.

Wicked Campers has been responsive to community complaints in the past, including an apology in 2011 when an 11-year-old girl and her mother were behind one of the vans with the slogan: “In every princess, there’s a little slut who wants to try it just once”.

A subsequent online petition for action was signed by 119,000 people.

At the time, right wing then Human Rights Commissioner Tim Wilson defended the company and opposed government action: “Government shouldn’t be going around telling people what they can and cannot say, unless it leads to direct and explicit harm”.

The issue of how to deal with offensive slogans on vehicles has been protracted because state governments have been reluctant to police bans which, unlike the vehicles, cannot cross state borders.

In August 2019, all relevant state ministers agreed to develop a nationally-consistent approach to removing vehicles with offensive advertising from Australia’s road network, and amend legislation accordingly.

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