Bill Leak and Cant

Bill Leak was the author of a quite racist cartoon.
Why was it racist?

It showed a male aboriginal as both a drunkard and a man who did not know even the name of one of his children.
Bill Leak had to know this cartoon went way over the line with regarding taste. If he was too stupid to understand this then his editor should have known.

The fact neither did shows either both were very stupid or they actually courted the controversy.

Let me be very firm on one thing before going on. I am not alleging either was a racist.

Both had to know this cartoon would attract blow back.
If Bill Leak did not want the heat of that blow back he did not have to draw the cartoon. He could have at the very least either apologise or explain what his cartoon was all about . Nuance is very hard to draw! I do not remember this at all.

Now let us go to the  infamous 18c action.

His legal team went hardball on this, They at no time drew on 18d as a defence Although the plaintiff wanted to reconcile his team did not.

If Leak was affected by all this he only had himself to blame.

His legal team would have explained the strategy. He could either agree with it or say he did not and wanted another strategy.
We can only assume he wet along with the hardball strategy. That being the case I have absolutely no sympathy if Leak suffered at all.

HE brought it all on himself . We have to admit we do not know why. We only know he was a willing 'victim'. I would not be surprised if it all went too far and in the end he could not speak out.

However he was a willing victim.

18c was NEVER going to be a reason why Leak would be prosecuted.