Mr HULLS —-Mr Speaker, as you would know, 90-second statements are usually used by members to talk about something parochial in their electorates. But today I want to draw the attention of this House to the deplorable headline `Resurrect the death penalty' which appeared in last week's Mornington Leader.

Mornington is a bayside suburb in Victoria in the electorate of the shadow Treasurer, the honourable member for Flinders (Mr Reith). It is near where my parents live and I thank them for drawing this to my attention. Apparently, some crazy right wing fascist group on the peninsula has called for the return of the death penalty and will be holding a public meeting on 11 September in an attempt to gain support for its stance. One wonders whether one would have to bring one's own hooded bed sheets to be allowed into the meeting!

None of this would or should be taken seriously if it were not for a State Liberal MP, Robin Cooper, who has not only backed the group but also called for the return of the lash. What sort of society do we live in when we have supposedly responsible elected members of parliament making such ludicrous, outlandish statements without any reference at all to the underlying reasons for crime and appropriate, realistic programs for crime prevention?

It is also interesting to note that the group supported by Mr Cooper is considering running candidates at the next election against MPs who do not support its stand. I wonder whether this type of knee-jerk nonsense has the approval of the shadow Treasurer. If hanging and the lash are to become Liberal Party policy in Victoria, I am sure we will see more and more Victorians moving to the more progressive and enlightened State of Queensland.