Page 3687 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 9 December 1992
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It was pleasing to see Mr Humphries bring in a Bill today, as I did yesterday, about domestic violence. We are all concerned about further protection of women in the community. We are bringing in a Bill this week to make it easier to prosecute for child sexual offences in the ACT. Again I was pleased to see Mr Humphries reported yesterday as saying that that is something that the Opposition will look at. They share our concerns, as I am sure do the Independent members, about the incidence of child sexual assault and making it easier for these matters to be brought before the authorities. Madam Speaker, that is the way you combat the sorts of ideas that may be purveyed in X-rated videos. We have no truck with those ideas, but we say that it is better to keep it legal and controlled than to force it underground.
This Government has supported the Prime Minister's initiative in introducing the additional category for M-rated films. That initiative is progressing, nationally, on the basis of an ACT ordinance which is being drafted in our department. The Commonwealth national film censorship regime hangs on the linchpin of ACT ordinances which, although the Commonwealth will pass them through the parliament, are actually drafted within the ACT administration; so we are helping that issue. To draw a distinction between the M-rated Crocodile Dundee-type film, which gets an M because of a bit of language, and Silence of the Lambs or other quite violent, quite sexually explicit - - -
Mr De Domenico: Or Mr Keating's question time.
Mr Cornwell: Or fixing the economy.
MR CONNOLLY: Do we want to talk about Fightback? Who wants to defend Fightback? Which bits do you want to defend? It is all going to change next week. You will get new riding instructions, will you not? Madam Speaker, the Labor Party takes the approach that, while we do not like the material that is contained, and the ideas - - -
Mr Kaine: Would you like to defend One Nation?
Mr De Domenico: It is better than One Nation.
Mr Kaine: Where did that disappear to? Down the big black hole.
Mr Cornwell: Defend one million unemployed, Mr Connolly.
MADAM SPEAKER: Order! The chief censor here may well change some of the rules in this Assembly if this persists. Could we have some order, please?
MR CONNOLLY: Thank you, Madam Speaker. While we do not like many of the ideas and images that are being purveyed in the X-rated video industry, we think it is better to keep that industry in the open and under control, rather than force it underground. Mr Stevenson acknowledged that yesterday afternoon in his remarks on the MPI on racism. Essentially, you control a bad idea by keeping it in the bright lights rather than forcing it underground. Mr Stevenson's eloquent remarks yesterday afternoon about freedom of expression and the fact that if you make something unlawful you force it underground and it mutates into even more unpleasant and undesirable forms of evil were a very cogent comment in relation to the trade in ideas.
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