Page 2680 - Week 09 - Thursday, 9 August 1990
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MR STEVENSON: Let us have a look at the fact of X-rated videos and other pornography, since you raised the point.
Members interjected.
MR STEVENSON: There is absolutely no doubt whatsoever that a small proportion, perhaps 10 to 30 per cent of children, are involved in homelessness due to incest, child molestation and pornography. It is becoming increasingly prevalent, although not widely so in our society, that young children are getting involved in abhorrent sexual practices. When I say young, I mean around 10 years old and so on. One child in the United States recently - I am sure we all received the report - raped and sodomised two young sisters. They were four and eight years old and were not his own sisters. He did this after watching pornographic videos. These things have happened in Victoria, in Queensland. I have spoken to prosecutors about them - - -
Ms Follett: Aren't they banned there?
MR STEVENSON: Indeed, and as soon as we ban them here they will not have as much of a problem in Queensland. When you talk about banning them in other States - "Aren't they banned there?" - it is a good point. Mr Collaery's report mentions the findings of the National Committee on Violence. I have mentioned in this house before that those findings spoke very well of the problems, but in one particular case when talking about problems within the Aboriginal communities they omitted to put the reason that was clearly stated in the reports that were given to them. That reason was that the cause was X-rated pornographic videos.
I would also like to mention a few points about Mr Collaery's reports. He mentioned preventative strategies and talks about macro and micro responses and proactive approaches and multifaceted strategies and so on. Basically I think most of that talk is gobbledegook. It would never win an award for plain English. I think that if we are trying to communicate in a report we need to use simple English. It is unfortunate that many of the kids coming through our education system would simply look at a report like this and not be able to understand it. (Extension of time granted) He talks about the set of principles to which the Council of Social Welfare Ministers agreed. One principle is that families provide the optimum setting for the care and support of children and young people. Indeed, they do. Then it goes on to talk about a lot of ways in which families can be assisted. However, perhaps the best way that government could assist families would be to stop taking their money. That is simply put. Rather than talk of government assistance for families, what about talking about stopping hindering them in getting on with their lives. The major problems in a family are to do with economic problems. If the people did not have these
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