Page 1258 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 11 May 1993
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MR BERRY: Forgive me when I say that I do not believe you. So the very important boxing regulation will go through, it seems, unscathed. It will be noted by the community that an opportunity has been lost. We will never recover the lost ground because there will be added promotion of violence as a result of your insistence that this sport continue. You will assist in the promotion of violence. It will not be very long before we will see Mr Humphries - he will be the first - screeching about violence out there in the community. Mrs Carnell will be talking about the danger to women and children on the streets, as she has done in the past, and she will be continuing to argue about the effects of violence on the community. That is right and proper if you are not helping to promote it. That is the awkward predicament you find yourself in.
Mr Moore argues that if we prohibit kick boxing there will be more of it. I can say to you that if we were to prohibit kick boxing contests in the ACT there would be none of them. Our damn fine police force would see to it. Madam Speaker, there we have it. We will lose an opportunity to reduce the impact of violence on the community and the expansion of violence in the community. We will lose an opportunity to prevent the promotion of a violent sport - one of many.
Mr Cornwell: Would you ban boxing?
MR BERRY: My view is that if boxing were not an Olympic sport and were not a Commonwealth Games sport you would have to have a close look at it. That is my view, and I think that is the view of many. The AMA would do it tomorrow because they have seen the results. They have seen the people with their mashed brains, punched - - -
Mr Humphries: And you agree with the AMA?
Mr De Domenico: Do you agree with the AMA?
MR BERRY: I do on this score, as I do on many other health issues. They have seen the results of people being punched in the head. They will now see not only the results of being punched in the head but also the results of being kicked in the head. The AMA and I are as one on this issue. That is a good one; you can write that one up. They recognise that this is a dangerous sport. Almost the overwhelming majority of the people of the ACT and, I believe, of the country recognise it as a very dangerous sport. If Dennis were to conduct one of his Dennis polls it would tell him that it is a dangerous sport and ought to be banned, but he will not do that.
Mr Stevenson: You are not a gambling man, are you?
MR BERRY: As a matter of fact, no, I am not. We are in a situation where we are just about to see an opportunity lost. Shame, Madam Speaker, shame!
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