Page 260 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 12 May 1992
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MR MOORE: Mr Berry interjects that 1995 is the time goal. It seems to me that that is an acceptable time goal. I will be very keen to see that it is implemented at that time. There are some risks, of course, in taking on such a popular sport as rugby league in the ACT. I think that the Government needs to be commended on the fact that they have been prepared to do just that. The tobacco companies are, of course, going to choose the most popular sports that they possibly can. We have the appropriate approach here, and it is an approach that should be supported. I take pleasure in supporting the motion that we take note of the paper.
MR BERRY (Minister for Health, Minister for Industrial Relations and Minister for Sport) (4.55), in reply: I am just a little disappointed with the Liberals' response to this. The opportunity to do something about tobacco sponsorship arose because - - -
Mr De Domenico: Gary started it. That is what the Liberals' response has been.
MR BERRY: The opportunity arose when the exemption that was agreed to by Mr Humphries, when he was Minister, to allow all tobacco sponsorship out there to be carried on, ran out. The opportunity then presented itself to this Government to do something about it. Nothing seems to peeve the Liberals more than to see somebody doing all right. I think in these circumstances there are a few major achievements. This is the first rugby league football field in the Winfield Cup to get anti-smoking material. None of the others have it. It has occurred in the ACT and I think again that the word "churlish" is most appropriate for the Liberals when they come up and say such things about what is a positive result.
The Canberra Raiders, a popular sports team here, were threatened by some actions that could have been taken by the New South Wales Rugby League in the early days, in what I describe as the froth and bubble of early negotiations. We have been able to achieve something that has not been achieved by anybody else. I am quite happy to be able to promote a message to some of those 20,000 kids across Australia who take up smoking every year and do not live out their full time as a result of their consumption of tobacco products.
If that is not a positive move, what is a positive move? I do not want to gloat or anything like that. Gary Humphries was a great supporter of the tobacco legislation and he is to be applauded for it, but I will not sit down here quietly and cop criticism from him when we make some achievements. It is outrageous. It cannot all be sorted out in five minutes. You know that the Federal Government has passed legislation, or is proposing legislation, I should say, which will bring about an early end to tobacco sponsorship.
You know that, in effect, tobacco sponsorship in New South Wales will be prohibited from some point in time in the future. You know that the viability of the Raiders was under some question mark as a result of some of the activities which had been proposed by the New South Wales Rugby League. If you are prepared to sit there and say, "Blow the Canberra Raiders. You get stuck into them, Berry; otherwise you are not doing a good job", that is not the way I operate. It is about getting sensible deals out of an arrangement which was not providing an appropriate message to the people of the ACT and anybody else who watches Raiders matches at the stadium.
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