Laws targeting “crude” and “offensive” slogans on vehicles like Wicked Campers look set to pass South Australia’s Parliament.

Key points:

  • Registrations could be cancelled if offensive slogans are not removed
  • An advertising standards body would decide what must not be on the road
  • Some other states implemented similar bans in 2017

The law would give the Registrar of Motor Vehicles the power to cancel a vehicle’s registration if the owner refuses to remove offensive material following a request from the advertising industry self-regulation body Ad Standards.

The move follows ongoing complaints about “offensive” and “sexist” slogans on vehicles, especially on the sides of Wicked campervans.

A Government bill passed the Lower House yesterday afternoon with the support of the Labor Opposition, which first tabled its own legislation for such a ban in November 2018.

The legislation is expected to pass the Upper House later this month.

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

Slogans on Wicked Campers have attracted controversy and complaints.(ABC News: Casey Briggs)

SA Labor’s spokesperson for the Status of Women, Katrine Hildyard, said the ban should have been in place years ago.

“[The Wicked Camper slogans] are slogans that speak about women in an extraordinarily demeaning way, that speak about them as objects, and that speak about possible violence,” she said.

“As community leaders, as parliamentarians, it is absolutely incumbent on us to speak up and do whatever is in our sphere of influence to end disrespect and violence against women.”

Queensland was the first state to outlaw sexist, obscene and other offensive slogans on vehicles in 2017, with Tasmania following suit.

Wicked Campers has been contacted for comment.