Page 82 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 14 February 1990
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by the distribution and promotion of these pornographic videos throughout Australia. Indeed, illegal operators in other states use the ACT to circumvent their local laws. They do this by having PO boxes in Canberra where orders come in, and are then automatically redirected to other States. Such is the situation with "Show Time" distributors. Their PO box in Canberra automatically redirects to a PO box in Crows Nest in Sydney.
My motivations for introducing the Bill - apart from my personal concerns - lie with the electorate. We all know there have been thousands of letters arriving from the ACT and around Australia - - -
Mr Moore: Well, several from the ACT anyway.
MR STEVENSON: These letters call upon us to ban the X-rated videos. Indeed, yesterday there was a pornography protest outside the Assembly and if members that have been making comments about the numbers had taken the opportunity, at my invitation, to attend the demonstration, they would have found out the will of the people of Canberra is indeed to ban the videos. It is unfortunate they did not take the opportunity to present themselves to the people of Canberra.
Mr Moore: And everywhere else, the people of Australia.
MR STEVENSON: Indeed, perhaps the best evidence that people in Canberra and Australia do not want the videos is that the Roy Morgan Research Centre Pty Limited gallup poll commissioned by the traders in pornography in Canberra showed that 49 per cent of people want the mail order videos banned and 48 per cent would allow them.
Mr Moore: It was 62 per cent here.
MR STEVENSON: The question was asked also, should pornographic videos be allowed in Canberra? The result in Canberra, as Mr Moore mentions, was 62 per cent. Around Australia it was 53 per cent on average. This is actually proof that people in Australia want them banned because that poll was rigged to gain a result that the people paying for it wanted.
Mr Moore: What, Morgan gallup rigged the poll?
MR STEVENSON: The Roy Morgan Research Centre gallup poll was rigged. I have their confidential, strictly confidential, survey questions here. It started off by asking, "Could I speak to the youngest man at home aged 18 years or over?". I would suggest that the result would have been vastly different had they asked the question, "Could I speak to the oldest man at home?", or indeed the youngest woman at home, or certainly the eldest woman at home. The poll was biased. The poll was also educative. It educated people into a certain thinking before asking a question. This is a grave danger when polls are conducted.
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