Page 1005 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 26 July 1989
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expertise in the area, than most members of this house. Indeed he is a renowned film critic of many years standing. I do not mean that in any way as a reference to his age, but it is in reference to his expertise and his interest in the area. So I heartily agree with his comments.
The Bill brings the ACT into line with the other States, even Queensland, and therefore is welcome in that respect. I am somewhat concerned, and I have handed around an amendment to the motion that the Bill be agreed to in principle.
A member: I have not seen that.
MR STEFANIAK: Have not you? I understand it has been circulated.
MR SPEAKER: I have not seen it.
MR STEFANIAK: I want to move an amendment which apparently has some technical problem in its format but which is being attended to.
Mr Humphries: It has been fixed.
MR STEFANIAK: If it has been fixed, I now circulate the amendment, and that relates to the Bill being agreed to in principle. As I have indicated, the Bill certainly gets the ACT into line with other States. But I think perhaps at this stage we need to consider one of the perhaps more problematical aspects in the Territory at present in relation to the film industry, and that is that we are an exporter of certain types of films which certainly cause a lot of problems and a lot of criticism of the ACT elsewhere, and I think really that needs to be looked at.
We need to look at whether indeed X-rated and certainly, and perhaps more so even, excessively violent films and video material are desirable in the ACT. These materials can be especially degrading to women and they can encourage violent attitudes in young people. I feel really that perhaps the ACT Government should introduce legislation to ban the sale, distribution and exhibition of X-rated and certainly excessively violent films and film material.
Studies have been done and they show that, with excessively violent material, persons have been stirred up and encouraged to go out and commit violent offences. This is less clear in terms of erotica. The studies show that those types of films are less likely to lead to any violent offences. But there have even been cases in the ACT courts where defendants have actually said they were stirred up by a particularly violent film and that indeed was a motivating reason for a violent crime.
I can recall the case of one rather sad young fellow who was about 19 or 20 and who definitely had a problem. He worked at Woden in a government department. He watched a
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