Page 3173 - Week 11 - Tuesday, 20 September 1994
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
Madam Speaker, in fact I spoke on the phone to James Repace when he was in Washington. He is part of the US Environmental Protection Agency. I asked him what he based his concept of a safe level on. I am almost positive that I referred to that in my in-principle speech. Madam Speaker, the safe level was one that he chose himself. He picked it out of the blue. So, to actually talk about something being 226 times the safe level is to talk about what he considers is a safe level. This is at the centre of the whole range of evidence that was presented to us.
Mr Berry: But Michael Moore knows better.
MR MOORE: I hear an interjection, so I will give you the chance. What about all these carcinogens and so forth that are part of the tobacco smoke? Madam Speaker, I have never attempted to debate whether or not there are a whole series of carcinogens associated with tobacco smoke, any more than I would argue about the number of carcinogens associated with exhaust emissions from a motor vehicle. They are quite numerous; there is no doubt about that. But we also know that some people who are exposed to passive smoking over some time do not wind up with normal smoking associated diseases. So we know that somewhere in between there is a dose level response. I went through that earlier - if you were listening.
Madam Speaker, we also know that people who looked very carefully at this committee report did not have the response of the National Executive of the AMA - a different response, I might say, from that of the local AMA, which did look at the report carefully. They did not have the response of the Heart Foundation or that of the Cancer Society which Mr Connolly quoted. Those people, I believe, did not read carefully what we were proposing and did not understand what we were proposing. Madam Speaker, ASH did. ASH's view is contrary to what Mr Berry said earlier tonight. I said to him, "What do you think ASH would say about it?". Mr Berry confidently said, "ASH would object". Let me read from a letter from ASH to me headed "Smokefree Public Places":
My personal compliments to you on Clearing the Air and the eminently workable proposals - with which I am in substantial agreement - for implementation of the Act. I enjoyed your presentation speech and indeed the whole debate.
Madam Speaker, that letter is on ASH letterhead. It is signed by Geraldine Spencer, the editor of "Ashes to Dust". Indeed, Madam Speaker, it has not been contradicted since. So, where people actually understand what we are doing - - -
Mr Berry: It will be soon when ASH get hold of it.
MR MOORE: I hear the Labor Party attempting now to influence ASH. It makes you wonder how the letters got there.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .