Page 4838 - Week 16 - Monday, 25 November 1991
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Mr Moore: It is only in legal terms that we need to call them prophylactics.
MR WOOD: That may be the case. So, Australia stands well in its attack on AIDS. Nevertheless, more and more AIDS cases are being reported in Australia. What can be said is that the rate of growth of AIDS is less in Australia than in other countries - and a good deal less than in many other countries. Certainly, we would not want to go down the path of America, for example, where a needle exchange would be considered completely out of the question. Here, while we acknowledge the undesirability of drug use, nevertheless, needle exchanges are now an established part of the attack on AIDS.
With that in mind, we look to the role of prostitution in expanding the incidence of AIDS. The committee found that brothels within the ACT - I emphasise "within the ACT" - are, in fact, safer than those in many other areas in terms of their sexual practices or habits. They are safer, but that is not to say that they are quite safe. Certainly, that is not to say that they are free from any danger. Therefore, we need to pay close attention to what happens in brothels.
I was interested to note news items, in only the last few days, reporting that Australians, at the younger age level, continue to be quite unaware of the real risk of infection through sexual activity. So, there is much that we need to do. But, again, in this debate we focus on brothels. There will be change to what governments do in regulating or controlling brothels.
Nevertheless, the Government has some concerns about this Bill. I note that Mr Moore has addressed some of those concerns. He has changed the original clauses, at about clause 16, relating to the manner of control through the lease system. He now has a further amendment that proposes to refer to the districts. I remind members that the committee proposed that brothels be confined to those so-called industrial areas in Canberra - Hume, Fyshwick and Mitchell.
Mr Moore, on advice, has changed his original wording to perhaps a more acceptable form, but I believe that it still falls short of what is desirable. A Bill that specifies, for example, the division of Hume takes no account of how things might change in Hume and what activities might come in there. It is rather too imprecise. Mr Moore might seek other ways to spell out what he requires in this respect.
Mr Berry will have some comments to make on this matter. It is one that, I believe, can be supported within the community; but the community needs to be sure that what this Assembly is doing is sound and is in keeping with what the community itself wants. For that reason, I believe that we ought to progress this matter but do so in the most careful and sensible way so that the community is not
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