Page 179 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 13 February 1991
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activities. They demand the right to show sex devoid of any individualism, any affection or any caring. They demand the right to use and portray women being used as "meat" objects. They demand the right to debase all individuals.
I talk of rights. I looked at my pocket Webster's 1943 dictionary under "right" and, it is a different definition for "right", but I thought it worthy of note:
In conformity with the rules which ought to regulate human action; in accordance with duty; agreeably to the standard of truth and justice or the will of God; not wrong; just; equitable. In social and political affairs, that is right which is consonant to the laws and customs of a country, provided these laws and customs are not repugnant to the laws of God.
It is an interesting definition. The actions of pornographers are repugnant, certainly to the laws of God, but also to our laws which stem from the Bible, as it were. What I would ask is that members in this Assembly do not think they understand the porn case, but look at this in a new light and do so with more than one aspect of it. Literally, if they have not yet done so, look at some of these videos. Look at the material that is contained on these videos. If you have not done so, you do not have an idea of what they contain and you will not understand the effects they can have.
Ms Maher: Have you got some you can lend us, Dennis?
MR STEVENSON: The ones that were sent to me have gone to the police to be tracked down. I simply ask that members of this Assembly understand exactly what we are voting on when it comes to the vote. Women are used in these videos as material things, to be used for degrading for the pleasure of men. Once they have outlived their usefulness - in other words, when they are no longer attractive - they will be cast aside like any object that is no longer attractive.
We have been told that the reason that rape is increasing - and it is increasing all over the world, wherever pornography is increasing - is that more people are reporting rape. I do not believe that that is true. If you contact the Rape Crisis Centre in Canberra you will find that it does not recommend that people who contact it report rape the police. I can understand that viewpoint. Some people believe that there is a trauma - and, indeed, there could be - in reporting the matter to the police, though it should be reported as a crime; but the suggestion that the reason why rape is increasing is that more people are reporting rape does not necessarily accord with the facts.
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