Page 3759 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 17 October 1990
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Mrs Nolan: Wayne, you wanted to delay it further today.
MR BERRY: I have not finished yet. This legislation, of course, contains a number of provisions which will most importantly, we hope, bring about a reduction of consumption amongst youngsters. Particularly, it will prohibit the sale of tobacco products to people under the age of 18 years of age, and it will provide for stiffer penalties for those who are found guilty of disobeying the law. One of the difficulties, of course, in relation to increasing that age is that, if one introduces a law which prevents the consumption or the sale of tobacco under a certain age, there will be a number of young people who will have been caught by the habit and will have the product withdrawn from them. That is an element of prohibition which I think is something that members of the Assembly ought to be concerned about - at least those who are concerned about the principle of prohibition.
I raised that today with Minister Humphries - and this is the point, Mrs Nolan - and he, too, is concerned about the complications that might flow from an element of prohibition being imposed on young people who are already availing themselves of tobacco products. There is a need to sort that problem out. Whether we adopt the proposal which is now in the legislation or something different is a matter for future discussion and I would hope that it should be sorted out before next week. I expect that later on the debate will be adjourned at the in-principle stage and the matter of the exact arrangements for the imposition of that new age limit will be dealt with in the detail stage, after negotiation. There is a problem and there will be a slight delay, but I still go back to my point that the delay overall has been too long; it has been almost 10 months. Of course, we have complained loud and long about it.
Mr Humphries: Yes. Now, you have taken advantage of it.
Mrs Nolan: Why did you not speak to us two months ago?
MR BERRY: Whose turn is it?
MR TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Jensen): Order, members! Speak through the Chair.
Mr Kaine: Then he would have had to renege on it.
Mr Berry: I raise a point of order, Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker. I think that needs to be withdrawn. It is a clear imputation.
MR TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER: I am sorry; I did not - - -
Mr Berry: The Chief Minister said that I would renege on it.
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