Page 203 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 23 February 1994
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Mr Humphries: No, the smokers; not the non-smokers.
MR CONNOLLY: Yes, the smokers will not go to the Oak Room; they will go and have a Macca's. I really do not think that is valid, Mr Humphries. It would be a bit like saying that the smoker would catch a bus to Perth rather than fly, when the airline ban was first introduced, and, of course, it did not happen. You are drawing a very long bow there.
Madam Speaker, Mr Berry has put the Liberals and the Independents on the spot. We have Mr Humphries's words; that we have here a momentous and courageous opportunity for us to pass into law a framework for a progressive measure to take smoking out of public areas in the community. We have a regime which would allow this Assembly full debate. It has the option to disallow or to modify. Indeed, if Mr Humphries felt that Mr Berry was being tardy in bringing forward measures, and Mr Humphries was so enthusiastic to ban it in front bars before we ban it in restaurants, which seemed to be his proposition, once we pass the Moore amendments to the Subordinate Laws Act Mr Humphries can have the honour of introducing the determination to ban it in the front bar if he thinks that is where it should be banned first. So, we have every opportunity for this Assembly to have charge of that process.
Madam Speaker, this is a significant opportunity. The eyes of a lot of public health experts in Australia are on this Assembly as we debate this Bill. I think a lot of those people would be concerned at the sort of advertising campaign and the sort of advertising resources that have been operating in this Territory over the past few weeks, with large-scale television advertising campaigns. I think it is the first issue-specific television advertising campaign in the history of this Assembly. I cannot recall TV advertising campaigns on an individual Bill at any time during my membership. Around election campaigns you will get party political advertising, but I cannot ever recall anyone having the resources to run television advertising campaigns on a single issue. There will be a lot of disappointment, Madam Speaker, if members of this Assembly - - -
Mr Humphries: You could ban advertising, couldn't you? That is right; ban advertising.
Mr Cornwell: Yes, why don't you ban them? Is that your response?
MR CONNOLLY: No, no; that is what you are proposing to do with your how-to-vote card policy.
MADAM SPEAKER: Order!
MR CONNOLLY: A lot of people around Australia will be watching what this Assembly does, and they will be very disappointed if members of this Assembly are not prepared to seize the initiative on this important public health measure.
MR DE DOMENICO (4.23): Madam Speaker, what this debate is all about is whether we ban cigarette smoking the right way and the sensible way or, conversely, whether we do it the Berry way. Mr Berry has said that he is "on a winner". He said, "Let us get some legislation that puts me on a winner. Let us do it quickly, without talking to anybody, because we have not had too many wins lately. There have not been too many wins lately, so let us have a winner". This was going to be the one that really saw Wayne get re-elected.
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