Page 4015 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 25 November 2014
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Whereas prostitution and the accompanying evil of the traffic in persons for the purpose of prostitution are incompatible with the dignity and worth of the human person and endanger the welfare of the individual, the family and the community …
This is the underlying motivation for the introduction of these laws. Apart from the issues of gender equity, the motivation for the new law comes from the concern about the estimated 20,000 to 40,000 prostituted people in France and the increasing number of apparently trafficked women. It is estimated that 90 per cent of people who are prostitutes in France are foreigners, mostly from Eastern Europe, the Balkan states, the former USSR, Anglophone African countries such as Nigeria, and more recently China.
Human trafficking is recognised as a form of violence inflicted against women and is considered a growing problem in France. I think it is appropriate that we dwell on the legislative changes that we have seen in other places as we deal with White Ribbon Day.
ABC—budget cuts
MS BERRY (Ginninderra) (5.11): I rise this afternoon to speak about the devastating budget cuts announced by the federal government to our ABC and just what this means for Canberra and our region. As ABC workers arrived at work yesterday over 400 people across Australia were told that they will lose their jobs—about 10 per cent of the ABC workforce.
At the Northbourne Avenue studios, several 666 radio staff lost their jobs, including the ACT director, Elizabeth McGrath. The Friday edition of the ACT’s 7.30 is being replaced with a national program and Chris Kimball will be moved to a new role. These individuals are well respected for their dedication to local news and speak for many across our region.
Earlier this afternoon I spoke with Gordon and Lisa in the Assembly’s ABC office to show my support for them and their colleagues in the face of these cuts. Thankfully, they will continue their work here for now, reporting on the work of the Assembly and holding us all to account.
Many Canberrans and people from across our region rely on the ABC every day for their local and national news. This is especially so in the face of events like the 2003 bushfires. The federal government’s budget cuts are a massive blow to locally focused news. But, when I think of these cuts, I feel sad for all of those who have lost their jobs. With the media environment already so volatile, it is a particularly difficult time for local journos and ABC staff to lose their jobs, especially so close to Christmas.
I also want to reflect on what the cuts will mean to local arts and sports programming. These budget cuts will mean that the ABC will no longer broadcast women’s sports events like the W-League football and the Women’s National Basketball League. For 35 years the ABC was the only station committed to broadcasting these sports, often
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