While Australia is typically a very porn-friendly culture with a variety of subscription-based adult entertainment channels that feature hardcore porn via satellite, the ABA has taken a recent interest in porn content being broadcast in Australia that does not originate in the country and could possibly be breaking local laws when it comes to adult content.
In many instances the ABA has reported porn content providers who distribute into Australia under assumed identities, in some cases pretending to be headquartered in Europe in order to bypass Australia's regulations when it comes to porn.
According to current Australian laws, adult entertainment content that features violence, simulated rape, or children is prohibited.
The ABA is in the midst of investigating certain overseas broadcasters to make sure that they are complying with local law. The ABA is also looking into local marketers who are allegedly facilitating the distribution of illegal porn from other countries.
"It's a test in that the legislation is clear, this sort of content is prohibited, but the question is, who is providing that content into Australia?" said an ABA representative.
A recent government-funded study on Australian porn habits asserted that pornography is a mainstream entertainment choice for many Aussies.
According to the study, 20 percent of 320 respondents who said they used mainstream porn were younger women, 33 percent were married, 93 percent believed in gender equality, and 63 percent considered themselves to be religious.
The study also determined that the majority of Australian porn videos had believable and "empowering" storylines. The majority of videos were imported from the US and bought through mail order companies.
