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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 4 Hansard (18 April) . . Page.. 1098 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

Mr Speaker, I do not know whether she had read my press release at the time she made those statements - in which case she would clearly have read that I talked about putting the recreation into pine forests - or whether, if she did, she just did not consider the issue. But, straightaway, she said that she would vote against it. It was only after the issue was discussed on ABC radio that she conceded that it was hard to vandalise a pine forest. She fell back on that old furphy, "Paintball is militaristic". So, Mr Speaker, my office offered Ms Horodny a briefing from a criminologist from the Weapons Advisory Committee. I gather that she does not want this briefing, so she will not receive that information. Ms Horodny would have been told that this particular criminologist - a female criminologist with the Weapons Advisory Committee - supported the proposal to have paintball allowed because she did not believe that there would be any problem in that respect. For the record, Ms Horodny did not want the briefing that was offered to her. Apparently, she did not wish to have the prejudice that she has on this issue shaken in any way by an expert in the field - a criminologist.

What was even more ironic was the statement that the ACT Greens made yesterday about the voting age. The Greens criticised us and Labor for "lining up to say no to a piece of legislation they are yet to see, against an argument they are yet to hear". Mr Speaker, I have already commented about what I consider to be hypocrisy in that respect. By comparison, Mr Moore was frank enough to say that he had doubts, but that he would think about it, which he did for a week and then made an informed decision. Mr Osborne, having played the game, was able to support the proposal based on his own experience. I suspect that many people in this place do not have any experience in this respect. But, Mr Speaker, that was not the case for the ACT Greens.

Mr Berry: You have never done a foreign order, either.

MR SPEAKER: Order!

MR HUMPHRIES: No, I have never played paintball either, Mr Speaker, I have to confess; but I am not so narrow-minded as to think that, because I have not played a game, it cannot be any good.

Mr Speaker, while the P and E Committee has been looking at the issue of contaminated sites, we have frequently seen people putting out releases about contaminated sites management. I have to say that I wonder why there should be a final report in those circumstances. The issue I am getting at, Mr Speaker, is the need for us to ensure that we do provide some balance in the way in which these issues are considered and that we do not all jump to conclusions before the proper process is completed. In this case, we put regulations on the table. I invite those opposite who are critical of the idea of paintball in this Territory to contribute constructively to that debate and to decide whether they think we should deprive citizens of the Territory of the right to enjoy within the Territory this sport which citizens in other parts of Australia - indeed, in surrounding parts of New South Wales - enjoy. I wonder whether perhaps some people have not been a little bit overprotective - nannyist, if you like - in respect of the citizens of this Territory.

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