"We're putting Wicked Campers on notice with new laws to take offensive sexist slogans off QLD roads."
That's the message from the Queensland government, with new legislation introduced into the state's parliament on Tuesday to outlaw offensive slogans on vehicles.
The laws seem aimed squarely at the controversial Wicked Camper hire vehicles, which are often daubed in bright colours and have been emblazoned with slogans including "in every princess, there's a little slut who wants to try it just once", "fat chicks are harder to kidnap", and a picture of an egg having sex with a chicken and the phrase "who came first?"
Queensland roads minister Mark Bailey introduced the legislation into state parliament on Tuesday. The proposed laws would give the government the ability to deregister vehicles which do not comply with requests to remove sexist or offensive designs. The government claimed that companies such as Wicked had previously ignored requests to remove the offensive slogans.
"If the Advertising Standards Board determines that an ad on a Queensland registered vehicle needs to be removed or modified, the registration holder will have a chance to make those changes. If those changes aren't made, the registration of the offending vehicle will be cancelled, simple as that," Bailey said.
"Targeting these sexist, misogynistic and inappropriate slogans through registration cancellation has been an innovative solution."
State premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said there was "no place in Queensland for sexist, misogynistic rubbish on full display". She had previously called for a boycott of Wicked Campers.
Wicked Campers had come under scrutiny in NSW earlier this year, with calls to ban the campers in the state, Byron Bay council banning such offensive slogans from council campgrounds, and the Splendour In The Grass music festival saying they would not be welcome.
Federal senator for NSW, David Leyonhjelm, had led the charge in support of the campers. He said the slogans were "funny" and that critics were "wowsers".
The Royal Automobile Club of Queensland welcomed the QLD proposals, saying such offensive slogans were "vile advertising" and "a smear on QLD's tourism industry".
"For too long this problem had simply been allowed to languish while Wicked Campers thumbed their nose at the advertising code which had upheld many, many complaints against them to no avail," spokeswoman Renee Smith said in a statement.
"From despicable slogans encouraging dangerous driving, including drug-driving and running down native animals, to pornographic depictions and derogatory statements about women, we don't want to see it on Queensland roads any longer."