Does it matter whose was the hand that signed the paper?

Alex Byrne - Chief Librarian, Northern Territory University

Abstract
Examines briefly the background of the Demidenko/Darville affair, drawing a parallel with the well-known Lindy Chamberlain case. Comments on Darville's alleged anti-semitism and her fake 'multicultural' background, concluding with the observation that the Australian social compact includes a strong strain of intolerance which holds that 'some topics can only be discussed in accepted ways and from certain perspectives'. Librarians should reject attempts to enforce the latest version of political correctness and apply fearlessly the principles of the Australian Library and Information Association's Statement on Freedom to Read in all their professional activities.

The article has been extended and adopted from a review article published in the Northern Perspective, Dry Season 1996. The author is the associate Editor of that journal.