‘pornographer’s Delight’ — Bartlett (Press, 15 February 1989)
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Summary: ‘pornographer’s Delight’ — Bartlett (Press, 15 February 1989)
In a recent response to a government report on pornography, morals campaigner Miss Patricia Bartlett has expressed strong disapproval, claiming it serves as “a pornographer’s delight.” As the secretary of the Society for the Promotion of Community Standards, Bartlett criticised the committee for seemingly endorsing the legalisation of hard-core pornography, stating that it only prohibited child pornography and extreme violence, while overlooking the proliferation of pornography across New Zealand. Bartlett highlighted her concerns about public health, noting that the report did not address the potential spread of A.I.D.S. if individuals were to mimic acts depicted in pornographic material. She also expressed apprehension about a recommendation to merge the Indecent Publications Tribunal with the Video Recording Authority and the Film Censor, warning that this would dilute the tribunal’s standards, aligning them with those of the other two entities. She dismissed the seven criteria detailed in the report as “nothing new” and lamented that the more stringent tripartite test previously applied by the tribunal had been disregarded. Additionally, Bartlett accused the report of deviating from its intended focus on pornography, stating it had adopted an agenda aligned with feminist viewpoints. She pointed specifically to the suggestion that women should hold half of primary school principal positions as being outside the scope of the report's terms of reference, which was meant to address issues surrounding pornography rather than broader gender equity concerns. Her critique extended to proposals advocating for increased funding for women's erotica and a wider implementation of sex education and contraception teaching in schools, which she opposed. Overall, Bartlett's reaction to the report has left her and her organisation feeling sidelined in their efforts to combat pornography in New Zealand.
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