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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 10 Hansard (12 October) . . Page.. 3019 ..

MR STANHOPE (Leader of the Opposition) (5.35): Mr Speaker, the Labor Party will not be supporting the Greens' amendment, not because we do not accept much of the sentiment that Ms Tucker has just expressed, but for a couple of reasons, one of which is that we probably have not had sufficient notice of the proposal. We have not discussed it with anybody. Another reason is that I think there is potential for a range of circumstances to arise in the future, circumstances that we cannot foresee, that would make the prohibition of the advertising of certain tobacco products perhaps unfortunate. There is potentially a range of circumstances that we cannot foresee at the moment in which we would wish the Minister perhaps to exercise a discretion. I think it is a possibility. I do not think we should deny the exercise of a discretion in those circumstances, particularly when we cannot truly foresee what they might be. I regret that the Labor Party will not support the amendment.

MR MOORE (Minister for Health and Community Care) (5.36): Mr Speaker, once again I am reluctant in some ways but I will not support the amendment, and the Government will not support the amendment put up by Ms Tucker. We understand the intent of what she is trying to achieve. But I assure members that I will be reluctant to sign any such exemption, as indeed Ms Carnell and Mr Berry were when I moved disallowance on their exemptions. We did identify problems at the time. I seem to remember one of them signing something and the exemption coming into operation before it appeared for disallowance in the Assembly.

I am prepared to assure members of the Assembly that I will circulate any exemption that I am proposing to make and make sure that there is majority support in the Assembly before I sign any such exemption, so that that circumstance does not go against the will of the Assembly. Of course nobody would want to sign those sorts of exemptions, but decisions are made on the priorities of the health of a nation, its sport and so forth, as against the insidious nature of tobacco and the style of tobacco advertising sometimes used in Third World countries. Ms Tucker, it is only a matter of time before this sort of amendment you are putting up does get up, but I do not think the time is here yet.

Amendment negatived.

Clause 18

MR MOORE (Minister for Health and Community Care) (5.38): Mr Speaker, I seek leave to move government amendments Nos 22 to 25 together.

Leave granted.

MR MOORE: I move: