Page 5042 - Week 17 - Wednesday, 12 December 1990
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
another computer's information and load it into one's own computer. In these days of computer literacy of children it is very easy for children to gain access to pornography via computers and also via computer games. Indeed, I have had concerned citizens in Canberra who have said that this has happened.
Millions of dollars are made by promoting and distributing pornographic videos by mail order throughout Australia from the ACT. It is well known that illegal State distributors are circumventing their local laws by using an ACT mailing address and distributing the videos via Canberra. Only yesterday I received another brochure advertising illegal X-rated pornographic videos. Though it had an ACT mail address it is probable that mail received at the PO box is simply redirected to a PO box in another State. Until we approve this Bill it is we who allow all State laws in Australia to be bypassed.
My motivation in introducing the Bill is to represent the majority will of the electorate. Our survey showed that the majority of people in Canberra want pornographic X-rated videos banned. Some people oppose a ban on pornographic videos because they are genuinely concerned about censorship. Let me clear up a major misconception. To pass the Bill will certainly be an act of censorship, but let me make the point that every member in this Assembly agrees with censorship and the censorship of videos. It would be a rare person indeed who does not agree that there should be video censorship. Who would suggest that bestiality should not be banned, or child pornography, or films showing people being tortured? Who would allow videos showing a foolproof way to murder your schoolteacher or local politician? Perhaps the latter is not a good example. Every society has censorship. Whether that society be dictatorial, libertarian or democratic, all have restrictions on what can be said or printed.
The real question then is not, "Should we have censorship?"; it is, "What do we censor?". This question is answered, firstly, by deciding what type of community we want to live in, and the people of the community should have a major role in making this decision. Secondly, the question we should ask is, "What effect does the thing we are considering censoring have on our community?".
Mr Speaker, the availability of pornography has greatly increased in Australia during recent decades. In the 10-year period from 1964 to 1974 rape in Australia rose by over 130 per cent. In that same time pornography increased greatly. History shows us that, as society becomes less interested in the family as the basic unit and more interested in sexual debauchery, such a society is decaying, not growing. Past great civilisations have fallen because of excesses in the community and declining moral values. Consequently, governments have a responsibility to provide moral leadership, especially for the young.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .