Page 2045 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 5 June 1990
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I do note that a major distinction between this Publications Control (Amendment) Bill and my own is that this one does not attempt to include R-rated movies at all. Therefore, we seem to have illustrated clearly the Government's perception that, while restrictions are important for X-rated movies, it does not feel the need to make any move at all on violent movies. I must say that I find that somewhat disconcerting because I would have thought that most of my colleagues in the Alliance Government would be particularly concerned about violence. That concern about violence is a far greater concern than the issue of explicit sex. I am disappointed to see that that issue has not been dealt with here.
Rather than attempt to confuse the two issues, I will accept that the Government may have in train something that deals with violent movies. I would be quite happy to make another attempt to restrict the access to R-rated movies. I wonder why the Government felt it appropriate to distinguish between X- and R-rated movies. I hope that we will receive a reply on that.
The second matter that is of most concern to me is what I would call the indecent haste with which these Bills have been brought on. They were tabled only on the last sitting day and here they are already being brought on as business. There is great concern about this because, clearly, a commitment has been made to this community that there will be time to consult and to understand the ramifications of each one of these Bills.
Whilst this particular Publications Control (Amendment) Bill contains a series of subjects that have, in effect, been discussed before, it is a matter of concern that there has not been the opportunity for people to express any other concerns. For example, the transitional clause - clause 8 - talks about publication of an X-rated film on or before 31 August 1990. There has been no time to negotiate whether that is a good date. As it happens, I have no particular problem with the date, but members of the industry or members of the public may have a problem.
I cannot understand why it would need to be brought on so quickly. Is the Government concerned or frightened about something that may come out of the community? Or is it concerned that, if this motion were dealt with on Thursday or after Mr Stevenson's foreshadowed no-confidence motion, that motion may gain some weight? Clearly members of the Government have voted on this matter categorically - and on a conscience vote. Some of them are against the whole notion of the X-rated movie and, as we are all aware, that vote was carried by a majority of just one by a vote of nine to eight.
It seems to me that there must be some concern on the part of the Government to bring up this Bill and put it on so quickly. I foreshadow that after we get through the in principle stage I intend to move that the detail stage of
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