PARLIAMENT OF VICTORIA LAW REFORM COMMITTEE REVIEW OF THE THEATRES ACT 1958 REPORT Ordered to be Printed Melbourne Government Printer May 2001 No 82 Session 1999–2001 Parliament of Victoria Law Reform Committee Review of the Theatres Act 1958 ISBN 0-7313-5391-9 Cover Design by Coolstudio - A Division of Cooltools Pty. Ltd. C OMMITTEE M EMBERSHIP CHAIRMAN Mr Murray Thompson, MP DEPUTY CHAIR Hon. Dianne Hadden, MLC MEMBERS Hon. David Davis, MLC (until 6 September 2000) Hon. Peter Katsambanis, MLC Mr Telmo Languiller, MP Ms Andrea McCall, MP (from 6 September 2000) Mr Andrew McIntosh, MP Mr Bob Stensholt, MP The Committee’s address is — Level 8, 35 Spring Street MELBOURNE VICTORIA 3000 Telephone inquiries — (03) 9651 3644 Facsimile — (03) 9651 3674 Email — [email protected] Internet— www.parliament.vic.gov.au/lawreform iii Theatres Act 1958 iv C OMMITTEE S TAFF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH Ms Padma Raman (until 15 December 2000) Ms Merrin Mason (from 18 December 2000) RESEARCH OFFICERS Ms Merrin Mason (until 15 December 2000) Ms Shyla Vohra (until 15 December 2000) Ms Kate Foord (from 22 January 2001) Ms Verity Oswin (from 9 March 2001) OFFICE MANAGER Ms Angelica Vergara (until 31 July 2000) Ms Kathy Karlevski (from 24 August 2000) v Theatres Act 1958 vi C ONTENTS Committee Membership..................................................................................iii Committee Staff ............................................................................................... v Contents..........................................................................................................vii Chairman’s Foreword...................................................................................... xi Functions of the Committee ..........................................................................xiii Terms of Reference ........................................................................................ xv List of Recommendations.............................................................................xvii 1 INTRODUCTION............................................................................................ 1 Scope of the Inquiry ......................................................................................... 1 Structure of the Report ..................................................................................... 2 2 HISTORICAL CONTEXT .............................................................................. 5 Sunday Entertainment Act 1967 ...................................................................... 6 Other Acts amended in 1993............................................................................ 7 Developments after 1993 ............................................................................... 10 3 CURRENT VICTORIAN CONTEXT........................................................... 13 Theatres and Cinemas .................................................................................... 13 Shop Trading Hours ....................................................................................... 15 Melbourne Crown Casino .............................................................................. 16 Liquor Licensing ............................................................................................ 16 Gaming Machines .......................................................................................... 17 Lotteries, Gaming and Betting ....................................................................... 17 Busking........................................................................................................... 17 vii Theatres Act 1958 Sport ............................................................................................................... 18 Racing............................................................................................................. 18 TV / Pay TV ................................................................................................... 18 Video Hire...................................................................................................... 19 Summary of restrictions ................................................................................. 19 Table 1: Restrictions of Entertainment Activities in Victoria........................ 20 4 COMPARATIVE OVERVIEW OF AUSTRALIAN JURISDICTIONS...... 21 New South Wales........................................................................................... 21 Australian Capital Territory ........................................................................... 22 Queensland ..................................................................................................... 23 Tasmania ........................................................................................................ 24 Western Australia........................................................................................... 25 Northern Territory.......................................................................................... 26 South Australia............................................................................................... 26 5 COMPARATIVE OVERVIEW OF INTERNATIONAL JURISDICTIONS................................................... 29 United Kingdom............................................................................................. 29 General Licensing Scheme.................................................................... 29 Opening Hours on Christmas Day and Good Friday ............................ 30 United States .................................................................................................. 31 New York.............................................................................................. 31 Mississippi ............................................................................................ 32 The Establishment Clause..................................................................... 32 6 ENTERTAINMENT LICENSING................................................................ 35 7 ENTERTAINMENT ON GOOD FRIDAY AND CHRISTMAS DAY........ 37 8 ENTERTAINMENT ON ANZAC DAY....................................................... 43 viii Contents 9 EFFECT OF THE REPEAL OF THE THEATRES ACT ............................... 49 Sexually Explicit Material.............................................................................. 49 Other Legislative Schemes.................................................................... 53 Consumer Advice Schemes .................................................................. 55 Blasphemous Material.................................................................................... 55 Breach of the Peace........................................................................................ 56 Discriminatory Material ................................................................................. 57 Conclusion...................................................................................................... 59 APPENDICES Appendix 1 The Theatres Act 1958.............................................................. 61 Appendix 2 Comparison of Legislation - Australian States and Territories............................................... 77 Appendix 3 Example – Press Coverage ...................................................... 79 Appendix 4 List of Submissions .................................................................. 81 Appendix 5 List of Witnesses ...................................................................... 83 ix Theatres Act 1958 We must not make a scarecrow of the law, Setting it up to fear the birds of prey, And let it keep one shape, till custom make it Their perch and not their terror. William Shakespeare Measure for Measure x C HAIRMAN’ S F OREWORD I present the Report of the Victorian Parliament Law Reform Committee on the Theatres Act 1958. The Committee has found it to be an interesting and thought provoking reference which required a careful consideration of community values and expectations. The ban, and subsequent reversal of the ban, on the screening of The Exorcist on Good Friday this year, means that the release of this Report is timely. The ban saw the Theatres Act become the centre of public debate, and clearly illustrates that, although on one level this reference has involved a pragmatic analysis of a specific regulatory scheme, it has also raised a number of larger social issues. The relationship between Church and State, the censorship debate, and the way in which public observances can reflect a society’s identity are all matters which have required attention in drafting this Report. Strongly held views were keenly debated and the Report has benefited from the range of perspectives considered. Overseas and interstate comparative legislation was reviewed by the Committee, and while noting the importance of days of special religious significance to any society, on balance, the Committee formed the view that ‘the observance of such occasions should not depend on government enforcement’. The Committee is of the view that the recommendations arrived at clarify and simplify the legislative controls over live entertainment and cinema. To those individuals and organisations who have made a contribution to the reference by preparing a submission and/or appearing at a public hearing, I express my thanks on behalf of the Committee. In particular, I would like to thank Dr Mark Williams for his assistance in the