Page 3147 - Week 11 - Tuesday, 20 September 1994
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MR DE Domenico: Mr Berry should not come into this place and attempt not to say the way things are. Mr Berry also said, "Why did Mr Moore go with the Liberals?". As far as I am concerned, that is not happening. It is the Liberals that are going with Mr Moore on this occasion, because it is Mr Moore's amendments that we are debating. The Liberals are going with Mr Moore because what Mr Moore is proposing to the Assembly makes a lot of commonsense. Not only will the Liberals go with him, but the committee has recommended certain things to the Assembly.
Mr Berry: And the tobacco companies want it.
MR DE Domenico: Mr Berry once again refers to the tobacco companies. Let me tell Mr Berry one thing: As the vice-president of a very prominent club in this community, I get concerned when I go to my own club and have tobacco smoke blown all over me. For Mr Berry to stand up in this place and say that it is harmful when someone in a restaurant blows tobacco smoke over you but it is not as harmful when someone in a club blows smoke at you is complete and utter nonsense. It is simplistic, as most of Mr Berry's arguments are.
Mr Kaine: It is total hypocrisy.
MR DE Domenico: It is total hypocrisy, as Mr Kaine says. Mr Berry also talked about Mr Moore deserving an award. I do not know what award Mr Moore deserves; but I can suggest what sort of awards Mr Berry deserves because Mr Berry time and again has gone to the public and has said, "I am the man who, more than anybody else in this country, is against tobacco smoking". We say, "Well done, Mr Berry".
Mr Connolly: The AMA says that.
MR DE Domenico: Mr Motormouth intervenes and says, "And so does the AMA". Yes, Mr Connolly; so does the AMA. If Mr Berry and this Labor Government were fair dinkum about protecting their supposed workers, why not have an across-the-board, sensible approach to tobacco smoke? Do not ban it just in restaurants. Let us have a look at the whole ambit - clubs, taverns and everywhere else. If it is harmful to have smoke blown at you in restaurants, it is just as harmful, if not more harmful, to have smoke blown at you in taverns, hotels, clubs and the casino. Mr Moore made a good point. One sometimes sits back and wonders whether there is anything else involved in this sort of simplistic attitude. Has any pressure been put on by certain groups? Do we assume that it is only coincidental that the very people that seem to form the basis of this Government's support, both financially and in other ways, happen to be those people that are in charge of places like the Labor Club, the Workers Club and various other clubs and societies? The names have come up time and again.
If people want to stand on the ground where sensible meet, they will realise that Mr Moore's amendment is the result of recommendations by the majority of the committee and also the result of the occupational health and safety provisions of this Government. That is why the Liberal Party is quite delighted to support Mr Moore's amendment. It makes a lot of good sense, and, when it is good sense, it is also good politics.
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