What You Can Do
Last month we made brief mention of the re-introduction of Mr Jonathan Hunt's Cinematograph Films Amendment Bill and included a coupon on the back cover of Sequence with which you could express support of the principle of the Bill.
As film society members we would like you to do more than that.
The Wellington Film Society Committee fully supports the provisions of the Bill and considers the reform proposed in the Hunt Bill as being of great importance. On one level the Bill is concerned to liberalise the present harsh (for adults) and archaic censorship laws. At the present time all adult cinema-goers suffer badly from the application of these laws to a degree which few of them realise. Film societies are not exempt (The Bookseller Who Gave Up Bathing, Lion's Love and Paarungen have been recent casulties). On another level all censorship laws are designed to regulate freedom of expression and freedom of choice. If we must have such laws, then Mr Hunt's proposal is vastly better than the present mess. It deserves vigorous support.
This is a matter which concerns us all and we should be doing something about it. Mr Hunt has led the way with his Bill, but if there is no expression of popular support then his Bill will, once again, lapse by default. A Private Member's Bill cannot be enacted into law unless it is adopted by the Government or incorporated into a Government Bill. But nothing will happen until a Government Bill is introduced. Following this year's Annual Conference of the Federation of Film Societtes, held at the beginning of the year, a delegation called on the Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr Henry May, to discuss the question of law reform. It was perfectly apparent that the Minister and his Department have sorted out what is to go into the much promised but still invisible Government Bill. It was also perfectly apparent that the Minister saw little need for speed in introducing that Bill into the House. There are many other things that he is more interested in dealing with. He said at the Conference and he repeated to the delegation that he 'hoped' that it 'might be possible' to introduce the Government Bill this year. But no promises.
When (and if) the Government's own Bill is introduced, the two bills we be studied together at a Select Conmittee. It is important that film society members and friends should demonstrate their support for the legislation proposed by Jonathan Hunt and ensure its inclusion in the Bill when it is finally processed into law.
The Wellington Film Society Committee hopes that each of you will join with it in helping to change the Minister's mind about the priorities for action. These are the things that you can do to help:
As a matter of first priority, letters should be written to Mr May,
to the Prime Minister, Mr Rowling and to Mr Hunt himself. The adresses are:
Rt Hon W E Rowling, Prime Minister, Parliament Buildings, WELLINGTON
Hon H L J May, Minister of Internal Affairs, Parliament Buildings, WELLINGTON
Mr J L Hunt MP, Chairman of Committees, Parliament Buildings, WELLINGTON
Secondly letters to the Editor of the local paper should be penned and your
local talkback programme phoned.
Thirdly speak or write to your local Member of Parliament.
You may be tempted to think that your letter won't make any difference. Few things impress politicians more than a volume of letters flowing across their desks supporting a particular cause. The letters that were written last year to Mr May in support of Mr Hunt's Bill outnumbered, slightly, the letters written attacking the Bill. If film society members throughout the country do not repeat the effort this year then not only will the Minister become entirely convinced that there is no need for action on his part, but last year's efforts will have been in vain.
We leave it to you to stress the points you want to make in your letters, but we would like to suggest as general themes some or all of these points:
Commendation of Mr Hunt's Cinematograph Films Amendment Bill;
Disappointment at the Government's failure to introduce its own Bill;
The importance of the Government's acting promptly to introduce its own Bill,
especially in the light of the repeated calls for reform from the
Annual Conferences of both major political parties.
Please keep us posted about how you are getting on. Tell a member of the Committee.
.
- reprinted from Sequence June 1975.
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