Page 1320 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 16 April 1991

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We have seen that pornography in the United States is controlled by organised crime. We have learned of the identities of some of the major crime figures in America who profit from pornography. We have learned of the criminal activities and associations of some of the major identities in the ACT and Australia who also profit from pornography. We can see that Norman Arno and Theodore Gaswirth came to Australia with the intention of setting up similar contacts and operations to those they run in the United States.

We have learned of the connections that Arno and Gaswirth made with criminals in Australia. These criminals, like their US counterparts, are also involved in drugs, prostitution, fraud, money laundering, tax evasion and control of both the legal and illegal porn video trade. Does anyone doubt that these same people control the illegal porn trade in Australia? These Canberra identities have once more proven, by their actions of advertising illegal material in each and every State that has outlawed X-rated videos, that they hold nothing but contempt for the law.

We have seen the web of interlinking criminals in Australia. It might prompt one to ask: Why are all these criminals so closely associated with each other? I believe the answer is: That is why it is called organised crime. These criminals are organised. What we need to do, as lawmakers, is to organise against them. We need to put aside party affiliations or personal conflicts and do our utmost to act in the best interests of all Australians, and ban these X-rated videos that are currently protected in the ACT.

I appeal to you to do the following:

Ban X-rated videos in the ACT;

request that members of the Northern Territory parliament also vote to ban X-rated videos in their Territory.

I ask you to call on all States to:

Prosecute anyone advertising unclassified videos;

ban the manufacture and production of X-rated videos;

direct police to get tough - police can enforce a ban, if so directed;

increase penalties as needed; and

tabulate all the existing data and collect more data connecting pornography with rape, child molestation, domestic violence, murder, and other sex offences.


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