Page 2443 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 6 August 1991
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MR STEFANIAK: We have not yet, Mr Berry, and I wonder whether we really will. The only sure-fire way of preventing aggression, and at least ensuring that there is some modicum of civilised, reasonably decent behaviour in the world is for relatively decent countries such as Australia and its Western allies to have the capability to defend themselves against totalitarian, aggressive, very nasty, murderous bullies. And pathetic little actions like you lot are taking in trying to - - -
Mr Connolly: Take the guns away from the bullies.
MR STEFANIAK: This is quite important, because the morals of the issue, Mr Connolly, are that pathetic little actions like this do nothing to help human beings or countries become more decent. Unfortunately, it just gives succour to the more nasty regimes and the more nasty elements around the world. And, despite improvements in recent times, we still see grave problems throughout the world.
I remind the Labor Party, as I think other members on this side have done on occasions, that the reason we now have a degree of relative peace in the international arena, between the superpowers, is that the Western allies - primarily President Reagan, supported by Margaret Thatcher in Britain and the European allies - stood up to a vast increase in Soviet arms in the 1970s and early 1980s. Had that not occurred, Mr Gorbachev would not have got in, and the reforms initiated in the Soviet Union and eastern Europe would have been a pipedream. If you want to look beyond just the economic impact of what you people are doing, you can see that when you closely examine the moral issue you are on rather tentative ground there as well. It is not too late.
I take it from this direction that we will see Aidex go ahead this November. But I would certainly implore you to reconsider your direction, so that Canberra can have future Aidex exhibitions. As is painfully obvious if you listen to Mr Day, the director, arms exports are very well controlled. We have some of the strictest controls in relation to arms exports in the world, and rightly so; we are not a supplier of arms holus-bolus to any sort of regime. Those controls are indeed very necessary, for some of the reasons you may mention, Mr Connolly. But this blatant exercise of blind left-wing ideology is costing the jobs of many Canberra citizens. It throws a tremor of uncertainty into perceptions of Canberra's ability to host various conventions and exhibitions. Is any exhibition or convention now going to be subject to approval by the left wing of the Labor Party?
If it is considered ideologically unsound, will organisers be told, "I am awfully sorry; it cannot go ahead"? That is not a way to do business. How on earth can we engender confidence in Canberra as a convention and business centre? We cannot. We do not have natural industries here. Tourism and conferences are very important. It is
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