PUBLICATION OF DIVORCE EVIDENCE

Chronicle (Levin), 23 March 1946, Page 5

PUBLICATION OF DIVORCE EVIDENCE

xNBWSPAPERS CRITiCISBD POR CHANGING THEIR Oo._X.aON.. Received Friday, 9.20 p.m. SYDNEY, March 22. An interesting exchange took place in the State Legislative Assembly when the Minister of Jus tice (ivir. Do vining) speaking on the second reading of tht Obscene Publications Bill, attacked thc Sydney Morning Herald and the Sydney Sun for changing their opinions on the publicatioh of divorce evidence. Twentytwo years • ago, . the MinistQx complained, the. , pap^rg- ; had an unfulfiilW>&0^®^^Ht-*iijop'6siti.-' fe. ban reports of divorce cases; to-day they were attacking the Government for failing to write this ban into the Biil. In a hal-f-hour speech he quoted Ieaders from both papers dated 1924. Replying for the Opppsidon, Sir Norman Kater saiT he was glad the newspapers had chaiiged their minds in the last 22 years, and that, anyway, tnt Government seemed to have changed its mind on the issue in the 12 months it had spent "chewing over" the BiL. England had also changed its mind be tween the time of the Scott judgnient in 1913 (yecommending publicationf and the 1926 Act, now in foree, oanning publication. In Victorija and South Australia the English legislation was m force. The Sun comments: "Mr.) Downing has no doubt left oif the coat he was wearing in 1924, "