If Bill Heffernan had said "f***, that's risky shit" on the street, the Liberal senator for NSW could have found himself among thousands of Australians whose swearing made them criminals.

Instead, he said it safely in Parliament House last week, although it is wiped from Hansard as if it didn't happen, his pointed view of cross-runway landings saved for posterity only by well-timed Buzzfeed Vine.

Bill Heffernan, Liberal senator for NSW, Credit:Andrew Meares

Heffernan should be able to swear on the potentially catastrophic use of an airport, or on any other topic, without risking criminal sanction or relying on parliamentary privilege to avoid it. It may not make his argument more compelling, but the state shouldn’t ban his choice of language.

Dropping four-letter words in public should not allow NSW Police to give anyone a $500 on-the-spot fine. It should not allow a prudish constable to force you to court, where you risk up to 100 hours of community service for breaching the Summary Offences Act prohibition on using “offensive language near, or within hearing from, a public place or school”. You risk a lower instant fine for doing worse things, like shoplifting ($300) or entering someone else’s car ($250), or blocking traffic ($200).