22 May 2002

Internal Affairs Minister George Hawkins has failed to dismiss the Chief Censor, Bill Hastings, after complaints from New Zealand First MP Peter Brown.

“I had a meeting this afternoon with the Minister responsible for the Censor’s Office. The Minister defended the Censor and, as such, his right to release films and videos which depict sexual violence, and obscenities. Just reading the Censor’s report on some of these films/videos is enough to make a reasonable person feel sick.

“These films are targeted at the deviants and the perverts of our society. The release of the films clearly encourages these scumbags to copycat actions. According to the Department of Statistics, the number of violent crimes of has increased from 20,928 in June 1988 to 44,024 per annum in December last year. This represents an increase of 210% in 13 years. During that time, violent crime as a percentage of all crime has increased from 5.6% to 10.3%.

“Everybody accepts that if we eat a diet of junk foods our bodies suffer, and the taxpayer pays through the health system. More so if we feed some people a diet of sexual violence and obscenities we all suffer the outcomes, but some of us will pay with our lives.

“These films/videos are coming into the country in the hundreds, if not the thousands, and the public are not aware of it. Releasing them is incompatible with the public’s demand at the last election, when 92% said they wanted their politicians to do something about crime and violent crime in particular.

“The Minister’s inaction should make him ashamed of himself. These films are contributing to the destruction of the fabric of our society and the Censor must take responsibility. He should be dispensed with when it comes time for renewing his contract later this year. I will continue to push for that,” concluded Mr Brown.

ENDS

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