Page 1464 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 11 August 1992
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This policy was reiterated to me, and I presume all MLAs, including those opposite, in a letter dated 11 June from the ACT director of the RSPCA, Mr Neil Turner. He said that the decision to ban exotic animals "should be taken now".
This idea is so radical that animal circus acts have now been banned in Williamstown, Oakleigh, Springvale, Coburg, Fitzroy, Sandringham, St Kilda, Heidelberg, Hawthorn, Doncaster, Templestowe, Diamond Valley, Richmond, Brighton, Warringah, Blue Mountains, Kalamunda, Mosman Park and Swan; so radical that they have been banned in 164 shires in the United Kingdom and in dozens of municipalities in continental Europe; so radical that they are banned in Toronto, Vancouver, and the Canadian city of Victoria - the Toronto City Council recently voted 11 to 4 in favour of the ban; and so radical that they are banned throughout India, the largest democracy in the world.
This idea is so radical that I have had members of the ACT Liberal Party ringing me up, giving their names, telling me what sub-branch they belong to, and saying, "We support the proposal to ban the animals. What our colleagues are saying is absolute nonsense and we do not support it".
Ms Follett: Madam Speaker, I move for an extension of time for Mr Lamont.
MADAM SPEAKER: Under the rules of this debate, Mr Lamont can speak twice to this topic. He can either speak twice now or seek leave for an extension of time.
MR LAMONT: I will keep going, if I can, Madam Speaker.
So radical is this proposal, so extremist, that in March 1991 - not very long ago - the New South Wales Liberal Government Environment Minister refused to import - - -
Mr De Domenico: Who was he?
MR LAMONT: Tim Moore, the mate that you got up and supported not very long ago, Mr De Domenico; the same mate who, when he refused an import permit for nine trained lions for Sole Brothers Circus, said:
Sole Brothers Circus has failed to meet the standards required under the Exhibited Animals Protection Act and has been unable to demonstrate that the lions, if imported, would be housed to standards acceptable in New South Wales.
That is what Tim Moore said. That is what your guiding light said, Mr De Domenico. He would not allow them in because the conditions under which the existing animals were housed were unacceptable to him and he was not prepared to see a perpetuation of that.
Madam Speaker, this is an idea whose time has come. The circus lobby has criticised me for using the example of Alfred Court, the trainer. They tell me that he has not trained for 47 years and that the training methods of today reject the barbarism of Court's era. I am not quite sure how they do this. Despite protesting that it no longer happens, no-one has been able to explain to me how cruelty has necessarily been removed from training. Nevertheless, in the interests of this debate, I will accept that as a valid criticism in relation to what I have said.
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