Page 3420 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 18 September 1991
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relation to X-rated films; it is about Mr Stevenson's political position in relation to a whole range of issues that would be of concern to most of the Canberra electorate.
Some of the links that I think have become known are of concern. Does the League of Rights support Mr Stevenson's stand on the Publications Control (Amendment) Bill? Does Mr Stevenson support the League of Rights? Does he support their objectives? Does he help them publish their magazine? Has he any financial connections with them? These are all questions that I think we need to have out in the open in relation to this Bill. What are his links with the Logos Foundation? Is he still a member of the White Aryan Resistance? What are his links with the Anti-Treason Coordinate?
MR SPEAKER: Order! Mr Berry, I think you are drawing a long bow as far as this debate is concerned.
MR BERRY: This is very interesting stuff. None of this is illegal, and I am not suggesting that anything Mr Stevenson is doing is illegal. What annoys me most is that Mr Stevenson comes along here and takes the high moral ground on this sort of legislation when all of these connections are yet unanswered. I for one want them answered, and I think this Assembly needs to have them answered in the course of this debate. The Canberra community and the people Mr Stevenson has pulled in behind him on this issue deserve to know where he is coming from politically. This is an extremely important issue for the people of the ACT.
I turn to what Dr Kinloch said in relation to this Bill. It was just a little while ago that Dr Kinloch supported the Film Classification (Amendment) Bill. That Bill would allow pornographic violence to be shown in the ACT at a film festival.
Dr Kinloch: I have never been to a film festival where pornographic films were shown.
MR BERRY: So, it is art if Dr Kinloch watches it; it is pornographic violence if anybody else does.
Dr Kinloch: That is a shameful argument.
MR BERRY: It is shameful, but it hit a sore point. Shameful, my foot. This is about attacking the issue which goes to civil rights on this Publications Control (Amendment) Bill. What Dr Kinloch is about is cutting off the liberty of our residents to view and read what they like. After all, the import of this material is permitted at the Federal level. It is quite legal. What we are doing, for political reasons, is adopting the wowserish high moral ground to draw in a few voters out there in the community who might vote for people like Dr Kinloch if they do not see through him on this subject.
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