Malcolm Scott

Malcolm Fox Scott (11 May 1911 – 31 May 1989)^[1] was an Australian politician and government minister.

Scott was born in Western Australia and was a farmer and had extensive mining interests before entering parliament.^[2][3]

Scott was appointed to the Australian Senate to fill a casual vacancy on 22 February 1950 and represented the Liberal Party. He was Government Whip in the Senate from March 1966 to February 1968 and was appointed Minister for Customs and Excise in February 1968 in the first Gorton ministry. He was responsible for the censorship of imports, which had long been strictly enforced, particularly against sexually explicit material. Scott was committed to preventing "filthy trash" from being imported and said, "I just don't believe in showing the sex act on the screen. I never have, and I'll stand by that. I'll stand by that". He confirmed the cutting of a scene in a Swedish film, I Love, You Love, which "depicted a couple lying side-by-side with the husband stroking his wife’s face and her pregnant belly". He said that these actions were of "a distinctly sexual nature".^[4] Prime Minister John Gorton signalled a different approach to censorship by appointing Don Chipp as his successor in November 1969. Scott did not stand for re-election at the 1970 Senate election and retired from the Senate in June 1971.^[2][3]

Notes