Without getting into the politics of all this, I will just say that the laws
of libel in Australia certainly apply whatever the medium.

In other words, despite what some people say about the Internet being a
free-for-all, if you post a libellous message here on Usenet, you can be
prosecuted here in Australia if you reside in Australia.

The same applies for racism and anti-discrimination laws, which, although
State-based, are fairly universal across Australia.

Posting a message on Usenet is the same as putting an ad in a newspaper.
Your son may interested to know that.

Nick