Page 2047 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 5 June 1990
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by driving licence, birth certificate or passport, or a copy of a document of that kind. Many driving licences now also contain a photograph of the licensee.
Mr Speaker, clause 7 of the Bill should go a long way to preventing the exposure of sexually explicit advertising material to unsuspecting recipients of mail-order brochures. When this law is enacted, if anyone is offended by such material, he or she should just stop opening it, because that is what it is all about. The industry will be obliged to seal such material in an envelope or package which bears a clear warning. That envelope will be placed inside the mailing envelope.
I have no time for this material and I wonder why it has been left to the ACT to move to use its laws to regulate this aspect of the trade, especially since I am informed that it is an offence under section 85S of the Commonwealth Crimes Act 1914 to use the postal service in such a way as could offend a reasonable adult. No doubt only some of the material would be offensive, but I invite the Commonwealth authorities to be a little more active in this area. In fairness to the Adult Video Industry Association, it has been supporting this idea for quite some time.
Mr Speaker, the main provision in the Bill restricts the sale and distribution of X-rated videos to prescribed areas of Canberra. This may see a small downturn in the trade for some suburban outlets and perhaps a significant drop in trade for those located in the Civic area. Well, so what? I believe that the industry has had a relatively charmed life in recent times and it should be prepared to accept these tighter controls, especially since this has been on the cards for about 12 months now.
I ask the industry to be mindful of the need to recognise that even within the prescribed areas there are family-oriented businesses and it may not be in the interests of the industry to set up outlets next to those businesses which may be incompatible with the special trade attracted to X-rated movies and adult shop products. This is a call for self-regulation by the industry and I believe it has done a pretty good job up to date. I am advised that in the main the industry is well behaved and a responsible member of the business community. Like any group, however, it contains a small number who may not be as responsible as the industry or the community would prefer.
In conclusion, Mr Speaker, I would like to suggest that those who have campaigned so vigorously against the X-rated video might like to lend their support to a campaign against an activity which I consider to be outrageous and offensive. I refer, Mr Speaker, to some T-shirts that are currently on display and being worn in public. I repeat that they are on public display and are not confined to the privacy of someone's home. I am informed that the Law Office has referred one particular item to the Commonwealth's Chief Censor, for advice and support of a
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