Page 5498 - Week 17 - Wednesday, 4 December 1991
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essentially been what you might call paternalistic governments or maternalistic governments - parental governments. Take something like the pure foods and drugs Act. What a government does is ensure that the best possible circumstances exist for the material benefits in the society. Laws that we pass are all to do with improving the society.
I call on the Liberals to recognise that in this matter we should not merely decriminalise - that I agree with - we should also be remedial. If you wish to apply the word "paternalistic" to that, so be it: Everything we do is paternalistic. All the laws we pass are paternalistic. I reject that notion.
As for civil liberties, we are doing something, surely, to protect the civil liberties of people who are victims. We are trying to say to those victims, "No, you are not criminals". If there are any criminals - and I would not want to do this either - it is not the women; it is the men who make use of those services. The industry would not exist if it were not for the men who have not the balls to find their own satisfying relationships, who have to pay some poor woman for some kind of spasmodic ejection. I do not believe that we should support that. I believe that we should support the decriminalisation of the prostitutes, but that is not enough. You have to go beyond that. You must put in remedial measures to help them.
MR MOORE (11.53): It really requires me to say very little after Dr Kinloch's comments. I think he is condemned out of his own mouth. The irony and hypocrisy of the man in talking about people not having the balls to resist going into a brothel when he in this chamber has admitted that he has the same problem with gambling is just amazing.
Dr Kinloch: That is totally unfair.
MR MOORE: You have said it yourself. The reality is that the occupational health and safety reforms that are sought by the Rally are already in here, and I think the Leader of the Opposition has explained that quite well. By this legislation, occupational health and safety will apply in exactly the same way as it does to any other business in the ACT.
Mr Collaery: Where? Is there a contract of service? Is there a designated work group?
MR MOORE: The designated work groups will apply in exactly the same way, with the same numbers Mr Collaery has supported for some time, depending on the size of the business, as he would know from reading the occupational health and safety legislation, if he cannot remember it.
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