Page 2723 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 21 November 1989
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liberties - and in the absence of any scrutiny of this matter by the Standing Committee on the Scrutiny of Bills and Subordinate Legislation, because this Bill came forward before the committee was active, it would seem prudent, unless there is any strong objection, to add the words "in the execution of his or her duty under this Act" after the word "inspector" to make perfectly clear that the provision does not empower police officers and inspectors at large to ask anyone in the street to provide his or her full name or residential address. Mr Speaker, the Rally otherwise supports the Bill.
MS FOLLETT (Attorney-General) (3.33), in reply: Mr Speaker, to wrap up the debate, I thank the members from all parties, I believe, for their support for this Bill. It is a tidying-up Bill, as everybody is aware. It aims to repeal some inoperative and redundant provisions from the statute books, and it aims to delete inoperative arrest provisions from Acts because they could cause some confusion about the source of power of arrest in particular circumstances. So it is very much a tidying-up Bill, and I think all members have understood that.
Mr Stefaniak put forward what I could count only as a very extreme example. But if we are to look in the longer term at the example that Mr Stefaniak has raised I do not think it need delay us in tidying up the statute books, as we are seeking to do.
An amendment has been foreshadowed by Mr Collaery and a similar one by Mr Moore. I presume they will be argued in the detail stage. Is that correct, Mr Speaker?
MR SPEAKER: Yes, that is right.
MS FOLLETT: I would like to note that the advice I have is that these types of amendments are not necessary, that as the Bill is currently drafted it does not actually widen the police powers to ask for one's name and address, and that is most certainly not the intention of it, but that if members wish to have this kind of a qualification included in the Act the Government will not object. But the way the Act is drafted, I am informed, is more in keeping with modern drafting practice.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Bill agreed to in principle.
Detail Stage
Clauses 1 to 8, by leave, taken together, and agreed to.
Clause 9 (Motor Traffic Act)
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