Page 57 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 13 February 1990
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One point I should stress is that there will be full and appropriate tenure protections for all judicial officers, judges and magistrates. I am very much aware of the concerns that have been expressed in that regard. There will be strong social equity themes in our law and justice priorities in the months to come. For example, proposals for a comprehensive antidiscrimination scheme for the ACT will shortly be considered by the Government. The sole objective will be to provide the best available protection for this community. We are not interested in political point scoring over what is essentially a Commonwealth problem, namely, its Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission and whether it should have a branch office in Canberra.
I expect to bring before the Government in the near future and announce here in the Assembly, a law reform process for the ACT, and an initial law reform agenda. That process will place a heavy emphasis on a community involvement. Several initiatives are being taken to enhance protections given to ACT consumers, both through the operations of the Consumer Affairs Bureau and through changes to the legislation it administers. Some structural changes are being considered.
The ACT is also an active participant in the development of national legislative schemes, such as the proposed uniform credit Bill and public order legislation. Those parts of the Liquor Act that regulate public dimensions of alcohol consumption are being reviewed. I wait with interest the outcome of the inquiry by this Assembly's Social Policy Committee.
Now, Mr Speaker, so far I have concentrated on my priorities in the area of law reform. I would like to turn now to my priorities as Minister for Housing and Community Services. In preparing the administrative arrangements we had the benefit of some six months of self-government and we were able to identify some weaknesses in the previous arrangements. The most significant change was the creation of the Housing and Community Services Bureau and its collocation with the ACT Law Office.
The underlying concern for human rights, consumer protection, social equity and service delivery across my portfolio makes it a unique portfolio arrangement in Australia. Fostering a society that protects the rights of individuals involves the community in setting priorities and delivering services in that challenge. By bringing together related programs, such as law, justice and corrections, we have an unparalleled opportunity to improve the operation of Government. By linking consumer affairs, the Law Office, housing and the housing policy review, we must surely be able to make progress on such critical issues as tenancy law.
At a different level the collocation of gambling and liquor with the racing responsibilities of the Office of Sport,
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