Page 894 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 25 July 1989
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international law. That did not go ahead. It would ill behove the Chief Minister, as the Australian Labor Party representative here, to cane the committee of which I was a member for intruding upon rights that the federal sphere had been unable to enshrine in domestic legislation.
Mr Speaker, the Residents Rally had, in its justice policy, the following statement:
The Residents Rally will support the framing of a Constitution embracing accepted concepts of civil and political justice. We believe that some common law "rights", eg, freedom of assembly [amongst others] have become persuasive, rather than prescriptive.
In my contribution to this committee, I have taken the view that the very great objective before this Assembly is to make the law-making of this Territory exemplary, forerunning and vital in terms of the dynamics of society available to us now. One of the regrettable dynamics of society in the ACT is the maladministration apparent to all who sat on that committee and heard the evidence of the liquor ordinance in the ACT. Consequently, my colleague Ms Maher made very clear that she would support this Bill, that there be a sunset clause and that the ACT Administration, and in fact this Government and this Assembly, get their act together and clean that area up and see if we need this Bill after that.
I do ask and I do point out, as a person who above all in this Assembly has been involved in civil rights issues for many years, that a Bill such as this puts civil libertarians on the rack. Of course there may be short-term political advantages to both the Liberal and the Labor Party to see the Rally squirming, but the fact is, Mr Speaker, that no witnesses to the committee were able to give me or my colleague Carmel Maher an answer to a couple of very important questions relating to the safety of women in refuges in particular and a number of other matters. I leave that to persons who will no doubt peruse the report and, I hope, the transcript of the proceedings of the Assembly.
Mr Speaker, one hopes the Bill will not become a cause celebre for the ALP to run an ideological line about freedoms. The Residents Rally claims to hold that beacon anyway and we will compete, for that matter. We will compete with you to say that, far from denying freedoms, we are increasing the right of freedoms in this community. (Extension of time granted)
I was saying that one aspect of the matter was that the prospects for law reform in the ACT will be enhanced if the party sitting opposite me, the Australian Labor Party, looks very carefully at the recommendations of the committee, reads between the lines and understands that from the evidence before the committee - and taking away the hyperbole of some of the advice given to the Chief
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