Page 223 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 30 May 1989
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so on will be much better addressed in the light of information received from the groups that are to be affected.
I was happy to release the report, and I hope that it will be widely read and its conclusions taken into consideration, particularly by the select committee that this Assembly has formed to look at the section 19 development.
ACTION BUSES - POLICE POWERS
MR STEFANIAK: My question is directed to the Chief Minister. No doubt members are aware of the tragic death of a bus driver yesterday who went to the aid of passengers who were being molested. What is the Chief Minister doing to make Canberra buses safer? Does she propose to address one of the main problems in this area, that is, the lack of police move-on powers around bus interchanges?
MS FOLLETT: I thank Mr Stefaniak for the question. In regard to the death of that bus driver, it was a tragic incident and I am sure everybody would agree with that, the more so because the driver died in the course of his work, and I believe that is particularly tragic. He was not a very old man, from all reports that I have read. Our sympathy goes out to his family because it was an unexpected death and one that occurred in the course of his duty - a very tragic incident.
I take on board Mr Stefaniak's comments about the move-on powers and I know that the Federal Police, for instance, have been lobbying for quite some time for increased powers in that area. I believe some civil liberties issues need to be addressed before we could look seriously at giving the Federal Police further powers in regard to moving people on.
I know that last year a working party which consisted of representatives of the ACT Administration, the Attorney-General's Department and the Australian Federal Police looked at this matter of move-on powers, including the kinds of legislative provisions that might be needed. My Government will be giving consideration to its report in due course, but I repeat that I believe civil liberties considerations need also to be taken into account.
ACT PARKS AND CONSERVATION CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE
MR MOORE: My question is directed to the Chief Minister. As the second two-year term of the ACT Parks and Conservation Consultative Committee ended last November, and in view of the already serious disruption to the public consultation process on nature conservation brought about
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