Page 258 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 12 May 1992
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take on the tobacco companies. They are always good for a few headlines. Take on the tobacco companies". It was not particularly original, of course. We had the North Sydney football club taking them on some time ago and doing quite well. So, it was not entirely original. Nonetheless, it was basically a good idea.
I might say that the idea produced tremendous angst in the sporting community on the way. I only have to look back at some of the headlines this matter has produced in the last few months to see how much concern this generated in the sporting community - "Raiders threatened in tobacco row"; "Tobacco row hits Canberra"; "Bruce signs - Raiders caught in cross-fire"; "The sport that is too clean to quit"; "Tobacco fag end causes confusion"; "The pollies must leave us alone", by someone called Big Mal.
Mr De Domenico: Who? Big Mouth?
MR HUMPHRIES: Big Mal.
Ms Follett: Aren't you going to read it to us?
Mr Connolly: Read it.
MR HUMPHRIES: That, of course, reflected quite genuine concern. What do you want?
Mr Connolly: Big Mal's bit.
Ms Follett: We would rather hear Big Mal than you, I think, Gary. That is what we are saying.
MR HUMPHRIES: There is Big Mal. There is his picture as well. I do not know who this is, but Big Mal wrote this article.
Ms Follett: Read it out. Read the good bits.
MR HUMPHRIES: I will read the first paragraph. He said:
Politicians are the latest lot who seem intent on making it very difficult for the Canberra Raiders to concentrate on playing football.
Perhaps he has a point. He continued:
The Raiders have not done particularly well in the first few games of this season.
Mr Connolly: They won with Mr Berry's signs.
MR HUMPHRIES: Is this the Raiders' in-goal sign? Are you talking about the A-frame, and things like that? The Winfield signs?
Madam Speaker, the fact of life is that this has been a matter of tremendous contention, tremendous difficulty for the ACT, particularly for our sportsmen, and particularly for the Canberra Raiders themselves. I would like to have seen, for all this fuss and bother, a slightly more significant achievement at the end of the day. I cannot say that we have really done that.
Ms Follett: Don't be churlish.
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