Opening of Students Parliament 4 September 2001 Morning Session — Legislative Assembly Chamber

OPENING OF STUDENTS PARLIAMENT 4 SEPTEMBER 2001 MORNING SESSION — LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY CHAMBER The ACTING SPEAKER (Ms McCall) took the chair at 10.09 a.m. and read the prayer. The ACTING SPEAKER — My name is Andrea McCall, and I am the state member for Frankston. I am delighted to see the students from Toorak College sitting very close to where I sit. Welcome, particularly to my school, and to all the schools in this chamber, to the beginning of Students Parliament. For members of Parliament it is a reminder of how the Parliament works. You will bear in mind that some of us break the rules, but we are expecting you will keep to them this morning. You have before you a running sheet. I think you are all aware of what you have to do. Bear with me. If I get it wrong, it means I have not been briefed as well as I am sure you all have with your schools. When you stand, please remember to announce your name and the school you represent, for the benefit of Hansard. I wish you all the very best of luck and an excellent day’s debating. 4 September 2001 Students Parliament Assembly 1 TOPIC 1 — It is counterproductive to refuse entry to Australia to those artists whose works or performances are likely to cause offence. Presenting school — Brentwood Secondary College Challenging school — Toorak College Miss VOLKOV — Everyone has the freedom to form their own views; what no-one has the right to do is to stop Melburnians from seeing serious works of art. Art is defined as objects or things that are considered to be beautiful or that express in a unique way a particular idea or meaning. Take, for example, the statue of David by Michelangelo — a masterpiece. The statue is over 4 metres high and the view from the average person’s eye level was considered offensive because of the prominent male genitalia. When the statue was displayed in Melbourne in 1969 the more conservative minority of outraged matrons had David’s genitalia covered by a fig leaf. This is a statue of a man with beautiful articulation and finally sculptured detail for people to view and appreciate artistically. Some people have volubly argued that the content of, for example, music causes disturbances and copycat behaviour, especially in teens. The link between listening to certain kinds of music and adolescent problem behaviour has yet to be established. Teenagers who are mature will not have a problem with music, but will treat it as art. Take, for example, Eminem, who loves getting publicity about his controversial work. His song ‘The real slim shady’ may sound bad because of the use of foul language and the offence it hangs upon people. Notice, though, that a line of the song is, ‘I’m like a head trip to listen to ‘cause I’m only givin’ you things you joke about with your friends inside your living room’. Another example is André Serrano’s Piss Christ. Although it may be offensive to many Christians, it is a view into the alternative perspective of the artist who has chosen to express his own religious views. It has been described by some as blasphemous and grossly sacrilegious. Some may find the title and content offensive, but others may find it a work of art. Let’s face it: in the 21st century blasphemy is something you come across every day. It is productive to invite foreign artists to the country not only for educational values but also for financial gain. Exhibits of art such as Michelangelo’s statue and Serrano’s work and performances by such artists as Eminem and many others bring economic benefits to the country through ticket and memorabilia sales. We never refuse entry to conventional artists whose paintings include landscapes, portraits and life drawings. The government believes by introducing these works and not others such as Serrano’s Piss Christ and Eminem’s music it can shield the public from beliefs and ideas. We believe this attitude will switch Australia’s reputation as a free country, where multicultural values are important and promoted vigorously. How can Australia grow as a nation if foreign artists are not allowed to display their works to the people who are interested in them? We have a proud and free country. We have to show tolerance and respect for artists and for the public who have the right to choose the artistic expression or creation they wish to see or hear. Until we can show we have this freedom of choice and expression, we are not truly free. The ACTING SPEAKER (Ms McCall) — Thank you, and well done. The first one always gets the hardest job. It is very daunting in this chamber, and sometimes you think someone has shoved cotton wool down your throat, so well done. Miss GRAF — Brentwood Secondary College mentioned the importance of a multicultural society. The basis of a multicultural society is respect for everyone’s customs and culture. A picture of Christ immersed in urine: what next — a statue of Buddha covered in dog excreta? Aren’t some things beyond what is decent and respectful? The ACTING SPEAKER — A response from Brentwood, please. Anything you like — you can say you refuse to answer in this chamber. Mr YAM — Each artist has his own point of view on the way he will look at the world and each has a different way of expressing themselves. It is easy to dismiss an artist’s work and accuse the art of being the source of the crack in the divisive national community, but it is harder to allow artists to exhibit their work and enrich and educate the public. If every person needs to be pleased, who has the right to say that artists have gone too far? They have to be shown respect for their work. Art is defined as objects, as Miss Volkov said, that are considered to be beautiful or expressing in a unique way a particular idea or meaning to the artist. Miss WOODS — Brentwood Secondary College state that teenagers who are mature will not have a problem with music such as Eminem’s. ‘Mature’ is an odd word to choose. Teenagers who are vulnerable may 4 September 2001 Students Parliament Assembly 2 have depression, drug problems or family problems. Aren’t you concerned that such destructive lyrics could make their problems worse or even trigger suicides? Miss ZIEBA — Why should we ban Eminem from coming into the country just because of a few people whose problems will be made worse by his music, and ban it for everybody else? The ACTING SPEAKER — We now have 3 minutes for general questions from around the chamber. Miss WOODS — Brentwood Secondary College used the term ‘serious art’. How can we tell if an artist is creating a serious work of art or performance or is just laughing all the way to the bank as they cash in on the publicity they cause? Eminem’s music is not a serious work of art — he says so himself. What exactly is serious art? Miss VILLEGAS — How are we to know what is serious art? For instance, the Sydney Opera House, which was extremely controversial a long time ago, is now a central piece of architecture in Australia to be admired. We cannot judge another person because we do not agree with them. If we do not agree with what they are saying, that is just our opinion; we should not judge them because we do not know what their reasons were. Miss GIBB — Teenagers may not have a problem with the music and sculptures, as Brentwood Secondary College said, but what about the negative influence it will have on younger people whose opinions have not been properly formed? Mr YAM — The CD covers of artists such as Eminem should include a warning that the music contains explicit language and should be bought by people over 15 or 18 years of age. People can be introduced to the works by the media or CD shops where they can listen to the music on headphones. The ACTING SPEAKER — This is an opportunity for me to explain that that is how things work. It gives you an idea for the first topic. Congratulations to the first two teams. It is not easy to be the first, so well done. 4 September 2001 Students Parliament Assembly 3 TOPIC 2 — The creation of special seats in the Legislative Council for Aboriginal people would assist in the process of reconciliation and lead to fairer laws for all. Presenting school — Diamond Valley College Challenging school — Mowbray College Miss CUXSON — In the 21st century the Australian people need to recognise the problems and plight of the indigenous population of this country. For far too long since the white invasion of Terra Australis the Aboriginals have been mistreated, abused and forgotten. We need to reassure the Aboriginal community and take affirmative action to rectify the atrocities to the Aboriginals in this great country. The first item we need to complete is reconciliation. Reconciliation needs to be defined. It is the state of having brought people together in agreement or harmony, and having been made compatible or consistent. John Howard defined reconciliation as facing up to the mistakes of the past to create policies for the future. Is it not a policy of the future to allow indigenous people to be recognised in Parliament? We cannot change what has happened in our history but we can ameliorate the legacy of those events that have proved deeply damaging.

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