Page 3904 - Week 13 - Thursday, 17 October 1991
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Mr Collaery: Rest in peace.
DR KINLOCH: Indeed. I thank Mr Collaery for an even better comment. In the case of rugby league, which is, after all, in many ways, a rather unpleasant, dangerous sport, although it has its healthy aspects, I think it very sad indeed that we should be allowing any support locally of that product. Especially I think that is so of cricket. Cricket goes beyond a mere pressing of flesh. Cricket is a game of aesthetic values as well as of physical values, and the idea of linking that game with the Benson and Hedges firm, I think, is highly unfortunate.
I am terribly old-fashioned: I remember when sport used essentially to be amateur. I think sport has gone downhill steadily since it has become more and more professional. It is merely great big bodies displaying themselves, the way the Romans used to watch gladiators. It is a very sad thing that has happened to sport, including the Olympics. I do not think we should encourage the relationship between sport and tobacco that now exists. I congratulate Mr Moore, and I will support his motion.
MR DUBY (11.40): Mr Speaker, my remarks will be short. I think Dr Kinloch has missed the point entirely. The legislation that was passed in this Assembly last year allowed for the specific exemption of imported out-of-the-Territory sports that are played in the Territory and may have large commercial sponsorship by tobacco firms. There are only two examples - rugby league and cricket - and those two sporting groups have national obligations to their sponsors, namely, Winfield in rugby league and Benson and Hedges in cricket. They have been given specific exemption to operate in the ACT under those names and to use the logos that are appropriate to the competitions. They are the only sports that are able to use tobacco sponsorship in the Territory.
This legislation was passed last year - and it was passed, I have to say to Dr Kinloch, with his vote. There is a very logical reason for it. If we did not have these provisions to enable national sporting competitions to be held, the sports men and women of the ACT, and indeed the sporting public, the viewing public, would be disadvantaged to a greater degree. So would the sporting bodies here - the ACT Cricket Association, the ACT Rugby League and the Raiders.
There is nothing underhand about these exemptions. They have been expected. The Minister has been fulfilling the wish of the majority of the Assembly when he has gazetted them, because it is provided for in legislation passed by this Assembly only 12 months ago. Whilst the speeches that have been made against the evils of tobacco may well be
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