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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 5 (Hansard) 16 May) . . Page.. 1331 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

Mr Speaker, I, for one, think that we need to look at ways in which violence permeates our community and ways in which violence is encouraged or accentuated by activities that we engage in, but I do not think that in that process we are much helped by a process of banning things. Mr Osborne has proposed legislation to cover or disguise the covers of magazines that portray an unfortunate image of women. Again, in principle, this Government supports that proposal because it is not about banning the magazines; it is about restricting access to them and making sure that people who should not be seeing them and do not want to see them should not have to see them. Similarly, Mr Speaker, nobody is being forced to play paintball. Even if this regulation is disallowed today, people will still have access to paintball on a fairly easy basis by merely crossing the border and going elsewhere to the surrounding region of New South Wales and playing it there.

When evidence is available, if it ever is, that paintball or games like it contribute to problems in our society, I will consider whether we need to proceed to ban it. Mr Speaker, I am sure that the evidence, if it were available, would go much further than simply games like paintball. It would extend to things like games in video parlours, and Ms Horodny made reference to that. We have all been to those places and seen the very realistic games that are available there. People can hold what look like guns and shoot characters emerging on the screen. It really is only a very small step from the game that is being proposed here. Again I acknowledge that there is an imagery about that which is unfortunate, but I really think it would be an enormously negative step for this parliament to consider banning such games.

It surprises me, frankly, that the Labor Opposition is taking this position on this matter, because on things like X-rated videos it has always, consistently, taken the line that people should be able to see and do what they please so long as they do not hurt other people.

Mr Berry: Not violence, though.

MR HUMPHRIES: The argument has been a general one about freedom of adults to engage in activities that they wish to engage in. I know that there are always qualifications to that; but, for the most part, I think that is an argument we should generally support.

Mr Berry: Next minute you are going to be saying that you are pro choice, Gary. Cut it out!

MR SPEAKER: Order!

MR HUMPHRIES: I wish I could laugh about abortion the way Mr Berry does, but I do not propose to do so in this debate.

Mr Berry: Yes, I laugh about your hypocrisy.

MR SPEAKER: Order! Mr Berry, would you kindly be quiet. Mr Humphries has the floor.

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