Page 597 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 21 March 1990
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I will deal with the commercial effect first because I am sure that members support the present difficult position of small business in the Territory. There are reputable, properly operated and profitable video shops and outlets in this city. It appears, from the advice that came to me from that gentleman, that under any of Mr Moore's proposals or intended amendments a proportion of their R-rated films would be caught.
To insist on their move to Fyshwick or an industrial suburb may well result in those small businessmen losing far more than the 15 per cent of the business that they tell me is the R-rated content of their shelves. The fact is that people will not go to Curtin to get one video and then to Fyshwick to get another - for example, The Deerhunter. The chances are that eventually they will go out to Fyshwick to get all the family videos, because who is to say that the Fyshwick dealers will not put on their own Mickey Mouse-Walt Disney section and have G-rated videos there as well.
There are serious social and business implications in Mr Moore's proposal. That has been put to me by a leading member of the reputable video industry and those implications are that there needs to be a very serious look at the R-rated classification. I note that the Leader of the Opposition has a proposal on notice today for a review of "R" classification guidelines and that Ms Follett intends to move a motion in her name in relation to those classification guidelines. In the circumstances, and against the background of advice from my Law Office, it would appear that we need to look more carefully at the full implications of this Bill. I will go on to give more examples, but I do warn members against supporting this Bill at this stage.
We will address the overall issue at another time. I am speaking only to foreshadow a request that debate on this matter be adjourned, but at this stage, Mr Speaker, I am not going to speak about the issue in principle. That is for another debate on the serious Bill that Mr Stevenson has put forward, not on the opportunistic sideline that Mr Moore has brought in. Ultimately though, controls rest with social sensitivity, education, appropriate values in guidelines and a deal of self-regulation.
Mr Moore's proposal to move X-rated videos out of the city is generally in line with Alliance Government policy, but it sets the pace for the implementation of our policies. We are a stable, responsible government. As Attorney-General, I am entitled to have the fullest advice from my Law Office and I am entitled to allow its officers to continue current discussion with the Office of Industry and Development relating to interrelated aspects involving, for example, the location of so-called sex shops in our city area. There is one, of course, located in Northbourne Avenue not far from here - in the heritage area of Canberra city, next to commercial enterprises which are antipathetic
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