Three years on, porn regulation proposal remains pending

Discussions on regulating access to pornographic websites in Fiji remain unresolved, three years after the Government announced that talks on a possible ban or regulation were well underway.

Minister for Communications Ioane Naivalurua says the Government remains determined to pursue the proposal, but the process is taking longer than expected.

“The ambition and the determination are there to do it. It’s just the process is taking a bit longer. There are no roadblocks,” Mr Naivalurua said.

In 2023, the Government said discussions on banning or regulating access to pornographic websites were well underway.

This followed figures compiled by Google Trends, which ranked Fiji among the top 10 countries globally by the percentage of searches for the word “porn”.

Three years later, the proposal has yet to reach Parliament.

Mr Naivalurua said Government processes, including Cabinet consideration, would need to be completed before the proposal could be presented to Parliament.

“We have clear Government policies and directions. It’s just the process taking a bit longer. We are heading that way.

“The plan right now is for it to go through the Government process, Cabinet and to the parliamentary floor.”

He said the Government hoped to progress the proposal before the end of the current coalition Government’s term.