Page 1266 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 24 April 1990
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The focus in New Zealand is on control and regulation, not prohibition. They identify that as the way to deal with the problem, and I think all thinking people will come to the same conclusion if they examine the facts and do not let their hearts rule their heads.
The arguments of the prohibitionists are sustained by highly biased and emotive anecdotal evidence and methodologically flawed research. They were condemned yesterday, as I said, by the Institute of Criminology for misrepresenting rape statistics. The only real argument for censorship is that a minority of people find X-rated videos offensive. I can accept that. I wish people would be honest and say, "Look, I just don't like it. Let's ban it. I don't care what you think; I want to have it banned", instead of trying to come up with these false arguments that they are doing it for the good of society.
The bottom line is that non-violent erotic material has not been proved to be harmful. Undoubtedly, I agree that access of minors should continue to be prohibited, and I support sensible measures to improve controls in this area.
Throughout the debate a number of people have raised a number of points. I feel it is my duty to go through those points and bring the facts to the attention of people who may be listening or who will read this debate in the Hansard. Dr Kinloch said that he picked up this People magazine and that in it there are 13 pages of nothing but ads from Canberra - - -
Dr Kinloch: I said 11 out of 13.
MR DUBY: Eleven out of 13 - that is not exactly the way I heard it. I have been through the magazine, and New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, Northern Territory, Victoria and Queensland are all there. Almost every State in Australia is represented in that magazine - page after page advertising a product for which there is clearly a great demand. People say that only Canberra is the headquarters of the distribution of this product, but it is clearly not the case. In the magazine This Week in Perth the same thing is available, yet Perth, I believe, has the strictest laws in Australia. (Extension of time granted)
I believe possession of X-rated materials there is an offence. It is the sort of thing that Mr Stevenson would like to introduce here. According to What's on in Perth, X-rated movies are freely available. You can pick them up at any hotel or watch them in the comfort of your motel room.
Let us be serious. Let us stop being hypocritical about this issue. We know that in New South Wales there are Australian-made X-rated movies; the movies are made in New South Wales, not imported. What steps are taken to prevent that happening? The answer is none. It is sheer hypocrisy.
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