Page 2058 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 5 June 1990
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I have received a number of representations from interstate residents expressing their concern about receiving such objectionable advertising material through the post, not once but a number of times. I think it is time that the industry took control of that particular issue and regulated itself accordingly. Therefore, I would hope that this requirement, because of the additional cost it will require of the industry, may also cause it to rethink the amount of unsolicited material it sends out from Canberra. On that basis, Mr Speaker, I think it appropriate to close my remarks on this important social issue.
MR DUBY (Minister for Finance and Urban Services) (8.50): Tonight I shall first address some of the comments made by previous speakers in connection with this Bill. I guess tonight we saw the best example of two-facedness ever, when it came to Ms Follett's speech. Ms Follett says that the Bill contains provisions to prohibit the sale or the rental of X-rated material to minors. She agrees with that. Hallelujah! She says this Bill contains provisions to limit the distribution of these products to double-enveloping. Guess what? She agrees with that too. Not only that, this Bill contains provisions to limit the advertising of this sort of material. Once again, she agrees with that. Funny thing though, she disagrees with the Bill. She and the Labor party are opposed to it.
For what reasons, Mr Speaker? Ms Follett seemed to spell out a lot of very fatuous reasons indeed. Primarily, she is opposed to this Bill because it limits the sale or hire of X-rated videos to prescribed areas. You would think if there were one thing in this world that Ms Follett had learned in her political life it would be that, strangely enough, there is concern in the community about the free and ready distribution, sale and hire of X-rated movies in this community. You would think that by now this woman, who blames the collapse of her Government on the X-rated issue, would know that the community had expressed a clear wish that this whole issue be tightened up.
If there is one thing that I have learnt, from listening to a debate with which I usually do not agree and from watching the demonstrations and the rallies that Mr Stevenson has been able to get together in his time in this Assembly, it is that there is a genuine community concern about the sale, distribution and hire of X-rated material throughout the community.
Mr Stevenson has shown that the area has been lax. It has been slack. Persons like myself, who never would support the prohibition of X-rated material, as distinct from pornographic material - and that is, I suppose, where Mr Stevenson and I part company - do recognise that there is genuine community concern over the availability of these materials through petrol stations, supermarkets, local shops and a whole range of outlets.
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