Page 1413 - Week 05 - Thursday, 13 May 1993
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school children. I am aware of and support the argument that parents of younger children should watch television with their children so that they are available to discuss issues as they arise, but this is often impossible to do. Adults need some reliable indication of the content of the programs they enable children to view. The retention of the C classification is, of course, a Commonwealth responsibility, and I will be making my support for keeping this particular rating known to the Minister responsible and the Chief Censor.
The MA classification in fact became Commonwealth law on 1 May, and most States and the Northern Territory, I understand, have already passed their complementary legislation. We in the ACT are only now debating the issue because of the short lead time given to MLAs to read, discuss and consult on this legislation. Other debates in the past have shown that, in general, MLAs are not prepared to pass Bills at short notice, and there are very real, tangible and irrefutable reasons for this. I would have thought that, after the experience of the past, Ministers would be more proactive in getting legislation into the Assembly with sufficient time available to MLAs to fully consider its ramifications. This in most cases cannot be adequately done overnight, and I am not going to succumb to any call by the Government to trust it; that its Bills as presented are always correct and appropriate for the ACT.
I have, of course, agreed in a few cases that a Bill should be considered quickly, but in the case of these two Bills before us today I could not agree that pushing them through the Assembly during the last sitting was warranted just because the Minister did not get them to this place in time for full consideration by MLAs. The Federal Government's timetable is not the ACT Legislative Assembly's timetable, and if the Minister wants to make a good impression by always being one of the first States or Territories to get Federal agreements through in legislation I suggest that he work harder at getting the legislation tabled much earlier. As an elected representative of the ACT I have the mandate to check and review government initiatives, including legislation. I was not elected to follow a Labor government schedule, even though I do cooperate to pass legislation in minimum time when I feel that there is a real and urgent need to do so.
Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, one immediate consequence of the passage of these two pieces of legislation will be the need for video outlets to restrict display, sale and hire of MA-rated video material to people over the age of 15 years. This means that the same rules apply to this category as for R-rated material. The delayed passage of this Bill, the fact that it has come about as a result of a Federal government initiative and the passage of similar legislation interstate should have ensured sufficient time for video outlets to prepare for the new requirements. I am sure that, despite the claimed difficulties of ascertaining age, there are sufficient defences in the legislation for outlets who have made a real effort to determine the age of younger consumers.
Film theatre staff are also going to face the task of determining, within reason, the age of patrons and ensuring that young people under the age of 15 do not attend MA-rated films without a parent or guardian accompanying them. While attempts will be made by young people to gain admission to MA films, simply because prohibition always makes the banned item more attractive to some people, the community has called for more guidance on the content of film and video material, and for the vast majority of people I would expect that the new classifications will mean that they can better regulate their viewing and be more aware of the content of future film and video releases.
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