Sophie Mirabella (Indi, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Innovation, Industry and Science) Share this | Hansard source

And I take your note, thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker—has not been taken into account, and nor have community standards. We are not talking about how liberal you are, your civil libertarian values, about what you should read or what you should see. You can do whatever you want in the privacy of your own home as long as it is legal. That is what we in the parliament, on both sides of the House, generally believe. I am not talking about that; I am talking about the protection of children. Some people have said to me, 'Oh, well, kids need to grow up; they need to know what it's like in the real world.' Actually, there is a time and a place that is appropriate for such knowledge, comments and imagery. Young children do not have the capacity to process and understand much of the sexual imagery with which they come into contact in the public domain.

Again, I express my disappointment in this committee report. I am sure it will be greeted with great acclaim by the sectors of the advertising industry that have not yet commented on it and with disappointment by the rest of the community that is focused on child welfare. Do not call us wowsers, because we are not. Do not call us people who want to restrict the free market, because we are not. We are looking after the health and welfare of young children. I am sure that one impact this report will have is to put wind into the sails of the community organisations and parents out there who are fighting this great problem in our community. Just because we as adults are immune, are numb or have become desensitised to certain images does not mean that our children are not affected by them.

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