Page 277 - Week 01 - Thursday, 17 February 2011
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this be taken up at a federal level as well. We cannot be complacent around the issue. We cannot be complacent around the impact that sexualised images have on children and young people. We know some of those impacts are around self-esteem, body image and so forth.
It is also an issue that has been taken up in other countries that I believe are far more advanced than we are in Australia and in the ACT. There are international precedents for giving priority to the interests of children in the area of media regulation. As a couple of examples, in Quebec in Canada there are complete bans on all advertising in relation to children under 13 and there are bans on all television advertising in Sweden and Norway in relation to children under 12. Partial bans apply elsewhere. For example, Greece bans television advertising for toys between 7 am and 10 pm. In the UK, there are bans on television advertising of junk food. They were introduced in 2007.
Given the issues of sexualisation, obesity and overconsumption in general, I think it is worth while considering this issue seriously. Of course, the Greens have argued for a long time about junk food advertising, which unfortunately has not gathered the sort of support I would have hoped to have seen at the federal level.
Sexualisation of children and young people is not an issue that we will be able to turn around in a short space of time and is something that will have to be grappled with outside the ACT, as I said, as well as in the ACT. However, it is important that we take the first step to change what is a very unfortunate phenomenon. It is important for us to implement initiatives that will have a significant benefit for young people, children and their parents.
I thank the minister for coming back and reporting on the progress that has been made to date and I look forward to even greater progress being made on this important issue.
MRS DUNNE (Ginninderra), by leave: Had I not been in the chair earlier, I probably would not have given leave for the minister to speak because my office has not received, as far as I can tell, a copy of this statement, contrary to the agreements between whips on this matter. Generally speaking, the statement is somewhat disappointing. It is disappointing to see the little progress that has been made on this important issue.
Going back to the discussion that we had on this subject last year, my view of the resolution that we came to is that it was a little half-hearted for such an important issue and then it is very disappointing to see such little progress—one meeting, some thinking about it, currently the Children and Young People Commissioner being tied up with Bimberi. This resolution was passed many months before the Children and Young People Commissioner received a reference in relation to Bimberi and it seems that nothing has happened.
Overall, this is a pretty poor effort from the minister and probably would not get a pass mark in most places but the Canberra Liberals will continue to speak on this very important issue and stand up for the rights of young people, particularly our young girls who are facing a very strong barrage from the media, and the advertising
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