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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 2 Hansard (27 February) . . Page.. 619 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

I support X-rated videos being sold, as long as it is at Fyshwick and Mitchell and places like that. I support prostitution being legally available, as long as it is in Mitchell and Fyshwick and places like that. Similarly, I am saying that, if people want to sell tabletop dancing in this Territory, they can do it at Fyshwick and Mitchell and places like that. I am talking about protecting the amenity of Civic. I do not want Civic to become another Kings Cross or St Kilda. I do not want that to happen, and it might happen if we start - - -

Mr Osborne: What is wrong with St Kilda?

MR HUMPHRIES: St Kilda is fine for St Kilda. It would not work in Bourke Street in the middle of the city; nor would it work in Martin Plaza. There is a place for everything and everything should be in its place. I am not imposing my moral views on the Assembly. If I or some other Attorney-General prescribe other things that may not happen, we have to table a regulation in this place which is disallowable. I can confirm to the Assembly that if I table such a regulation I will not bury it within other documents, where regulations are often tabled; I will make a statement attached to that regulation. I will alert members of the Assembly very explicitly to the fact that that regulation has been made and to the circumstances that led to its being made. That is my undertaking to the Assembly.

I want to put on record the fact that the Australian Hotels Association has supported the extension of the trial, and the Eros Foundation has supported the removal of tabletop dancing to those parts of the Territory which we are talking about. Mr Moore said the effect of this legislation was very wide. That is actually not the case. It is not very wide at all. In fact, it is rather narrower than I would have liked. This legislation does not ban, for example, topless waitresses; nor does it ban most strippers, who I believe are commonplace in the Territory for particular social functions. Neither of those things is banned by this legislation, within Civic or anywhere else. It does ban, though, the full exposure of people's genitalia and full acts of sexual intercourse, except in those certain parts of the Territory which we are now prescribing.

Mr Whitecross: Unless you prescribe something else.

MR HUMPHRIES: If I do prescribe something else, I will come back to the Assembly and you can disallow it, Mr Whitecross.

Mr Whitecross: Why do you not tell us what you are going to prescribe before we pass it?

MR HUMPHRIES: I have no intention whatsoever of prescribing anything else at this point in time. Mr Speaker, that is the position, and I simply say that this is appropriate and I ask members to support it.

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