Page 2053 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 5 June 1990
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I think it is necessary for the Government to act quickly to close off any opportunities there. So that is why the Bill contains clause 5, a new offence of assisting a minor to obtain an X-rated film. I think that Mr Stevenson has highlighted the inadequacies of the current law by his recent demonstration of those inadequacies. Clause 5 certainly ensures that that will be very difficult to do in future.
Clause 4(b) places an obligation on X-rated video outlets to check, by reference to documentation such as a driving licence, the age of the purchaser for new orders where there is any reason to doubt the age of that purchaser. The use of a driving licence or other document of identity is now commonplace in other industries such as the liquor industry. Banks also rely on such documents for identification of persons when opening accounts. The local supermarket will sometimes ask for proof of identity too. Those documents invariably contain proof of age, and it is for that reason that those regulatory measures are being introduced.
Mr Speaker, these regulatory measures are indeed necessary. For those outlets outside the prescribed areas, a two-month transitional period has been allowed to enable them to dispose of their stocks of X-rated material. That might go some way to addressing the problem Ms Follett has. After 1 July 1990, disposal will not be permitted to the public. In the transitional period - that is, up to 31 August 1990 - outlets outside the prescribed areas will be permitted to engage in wholesale transactions to dispose of stocks. That seems to me to be quite a generous proposition in this Bill.
Also, I think the Assembly should be aware of concerns expressed in other jurisdictions about illicit trade in X-rated and unclassified videos. It is interesting to see that the ACT, which has been the subject of so much criticism, is now leading the way in regulating the industry. It is, however, a national problem, as the Attorney-General has highlighted, and I urge the States and the Northern Territory, as well as the Commonwealth, to use their powers more effectively than they have in the past.
As I said in my opening remarks, Liberal Party policy remains unchanged but this Bill at least proposes restrictions. It imposes tax on an industry that has got off very lightly. Indeed, if we have the numbers in a future Assembly and our policy remains unchanged, there will not be any such industry. However, at present we do not have the numbers and this Bill at least seeks to regulate the industry. Accordingly, the Liberal members and the Alliance Government support it.
MR STEVENSON (8.33): This Bill, which could be called the "Porn Protection Bill", will not prevent any single video from being mail-ordered throughout Australia. I think it is interesting that some people in this house feel that the
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