Page 1240 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 24 April 1990
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underground anyway. We know it is underground in the other States - not only non-violent erotica but the hard-core as well. If it is to go underground, so be it. At least it is unlikely that it will be freely available to our young people, and that is what I am concerned about. These things are in our society.
Where is the joy of life? We are interested in lifting the joy of life. Mr Moore as an educator would know that if you give your children fine literature to read - Black Beauty and those sorts of things - it is uplifting to the people. There are other literary films, numerous titles, that can move people of all ages to be giving, unselfish and loving. What a great society we would be in if that were the case. Pornography directs people to selfish gratification at the expense of others.
As well as children, there are childlike members in our community. They may be up to 80 years of age, but they are affected in a most outstanding manner by things that they read, see, feel and touch. Some of us overreact, and it is those about whom I am concerned more than anything, but we are all affected, not just some; not just those who get themselves into trouble by giving in to their desires. Fine literature is uplifting and positive. Pornography is downputting and negative, and we are all affected by it.
We have been told that pornography has no effect on anybody. While I was in the Northern Territory recently, I had a debate with people on pornography. Members of parliament there told me, by the way, that if we ban it here they will immediately move to ban it in the Northern Territory because they certainly do not want it there.
Just as I was leaving, there was an article in the Northern Territory News of Friday, 2 March 1990, a copy of which I have in my hand; I will read several bits. It stated that two girls aged 12 and 10 and a boy aged two were asleep in their parents' bed. The eldest awoke and screamed as somebody was breaking into the house. The fellow fled when the girl screamed, but he returned five minutes later carrying a torch and pornographic magazines. He found a knife in the kitchen and threatened to kill the two younger children if the older girl did not have sex with him. If you can sit there barefaced and tell me that pornography has no effect, you are living in cloud-cuckoo-land. We have to recognise that pornography does affect the people who see, read and feel it.
Now is the chance for members - and there are 17 here tonight - to do something, but do not waste that chance because of pressure from so-called libertarians. Canberra is the porn capital of South East Asia. Porn has no place in a loving, caring society. Let us show leadership. For goodness' sake, vote for this Bill.
MR JENSEN (9.05): Before this debate tonight I spoke to a mother of teenage children who are the same age as mine.
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