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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 4 Hansard (18 April) . . Page.. 1102 ..

MS FOLLETT (3.47): Mr Speaker, I would like to speak very briefly on this matter. I do not think it would be a secret to anyone in the Assembly that I am opposed to the introduction of this particular game into the ACT. I am quite prepared to have my views derided by the Government. That is all right with me. In fact, I think it is a badge of honour to have your views derided by this kind of a government. The fact of the matter is, Mr Speaker, that the game that we are talking about actually requires a regulation under the Weapons Act to be made. That is a very serious matter, which the Assembly ought to take note of.

The regulation that the Minister has tabled makes provision for the weapons used in this game to be treated like firearms; that is, they have to be stored securely, in a manner approved by the registrar; they have to have identification numbers; the registrar has to be notified that they are to be used only on the paint pellet range; they are not to be used by anybody under the age of 18 years and so on; nobody is allowed to use them if they are under the influence of alcohol or drugs; and the registrar must be satisfied that anybody who supervises or instructs people in the use of this weapon is suitably qualified. These are not water-pistols we are talking about, in other words; they are real weapons, as defined under the Territory's Weapons Act. So, it is a matter that requires our very careful and thoughtful consideration.

Mr Speaker, it seems to me, as Mr Moore says, that this is an on-balance decision about whether or not to allow this game to be played. I should tell members also that, on balance, if I had a free choice in the matter, I would ban many sports. I would ban all sports where the objective of that sport is to inflict harm on another person. So, boxing would go; wrestling would go; most of the martial "arts", so-called - arts, my foot! - would go as well. If I had a free choice, that is what I would do. So, it should not be a surprise to anybody to note my opposition to this particular game, because it is a game where the whole objective is to shoot someone else. What a noble objective that is, in a society and Assembly which prides itself on its stance against violence, on its stance against weapons. Mr Speaker, this is an issue that really does deserve very careful consideration.

I myself am opposed to this game. I think the fact that there are people in this Assembly who are prepared to put an opposing view is not cause for derision by those who do not hold that view. It ought not to be cause for derision. I know that my views are shared by many in the community, and they have expressed support for those views. So, Mr Speaker, I would prefer the Government to take a rather more careful, thoughtful and conciliatory approach in its quest for this game to take place in our city. I know that it occurs in other places, and I do not regard that as any justification whatsoever for its occurring here in the ACT. We know that all sorts of things occur in other places, like police corruption, paedophilia on a rampant scale, and so on. I do not suspect that any of us would support the ACT adopting that kind of approach either. So, Mr Speaker, I think we need to look at the issue on its merits, look at the influence that this game might have within our own community and make our decision based on that kind of consideration rather than on any sort of knee-jerk or gung-ho approach that seems to be saying, as the Government is, "There is nothing wrong with this; it is just having fun. Let us go ahead with it". There have been many things done in the name of having fun, not all of them sensible. Mr Speaker, I think that, now that the issues have been raised, they ought to be carefully considered.

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