29th January, 2016
The Australian Christian Lobby has called for the reform of advertising regulations, saying it takes too long for complaints to be dealt with given the short-term time frame of advertising campaigns.
The call follows the recent decision of the Advertising Standards Bureau to uphold complaints over a poster by lingerie chain Honey Birdette depicting a lingerie-clad woman and a bound and gagged Santa. In a decision handed down on 20th January, it found that the image could be seen by people as suggestive of sexual violence.
Wendy Francis, the ACL’s Queensland director, said that while "vindicated" by the bureau’s decision, it typically took the organisation weeks to reach a determination and that even when a decision has been made, it can be appealed, delaying the process even more. "(And) all the while the advertisement is allowed to remain on display," she said.
Mrs Francis added that the current practices of the Advertising Standards Bureau "do not reflect the short-run time frame of most advertising campaigns".
"The Advertising Standards Board has no power to enforce its own decisions and is too slow at responding to complaints," she said. "We call on governments to introduce penalties for advertisers who refuse to abide by community standards and for the self-regulatory body to be timelier in its decisions."
In response to the decision, the lingerie chain said the campaign had been "very well received" but added that the signage had been removed and the image would no longer be visible.
– DAVID ADAMS
