Page 1281 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 24 April 1990
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MR STEVENSON: You can shake your head, Wayne, but they have been banned in every State in Australia and they will be banned in the ACT. There is no doubt, because the people want it and they will get it. In this town and this country more and more people are waking up and they will not be told what to do by politicians. The leader of the group called the Opposition - and I am no part of that, of course - Rosemary Follett, recently said that people are concerned about not being represented in Australia, yet she will not represent people.
Tonight we have the power. Every one of us here has the power to do what the States want - to ban X-rated videos. I do not ask you to ban sex on videos or movies. That is freely viewable on the television or at the cinemas every night of the week. I ask you to ban degrading, violence-causing, hard-core pornography. I ask it not for me but on behalf of the people of Canberra and Australia who want it banned.
We all know that advertising works because what we see influences what we do. We have seen who has called for a ban on pornography and we know that the people want it. Tonight when you vote, though you may have made up your minds, look at exactly what you are doing. If you vote totally according to your conscience, in all truth and honesty, no-one can ask more of you. But, if you vote because of a political decision, the people of Canberra and Australia have a right to ask you to change your minds and show some courage, because if you do not have personal integrity in life you have nothing. Money, possessions and position are nothing without personal integrity.
In a few hours Aussies will gather to commemorate those people who died. Many of them were under-age; they lied about their ages to take the opportunity to fight for Australia. If they were here tonight what would they ask you to do? Tomorrow when you commemorate Anzac Day, while you stand in silence, will you be able to answer, "Did you do what you could to handle the destruction caused by X-rated pornography?".
Question put.
The Assembly voted -
AYES, 8 NOES, 9
Mr Humphries Mr Berry
Mr Jensen Mr Collaery
Mr Kaine Mr Duby
Dr Kinloch Ms Follett
Mrs Nolan Mrs Grassby
Mr Prowse Ms Maher
Mr Stefaniak Mr Moore
Mr Stevenson Mr Whalan
Mr Wood
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