Page 447 - Week 02 - Thursday, 22 February 1990
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alcohol as related to public behaviour was not necessarily related to the young -
and I do agree with that -
I would also suggest that much more information should be evaluated before such a recommendation be put forward.
While the Committee recommends that "on licence hours" remain unchanged at present, I would consider that further information would need to be sought before a real judgment can be taken. The Committee was told that while twenty four hour licensing is available that in fact no one trades twenty four hours a day, Governments should be about "the business of Government and not the Government of business"! I do not believe restricting trading hours will do anything to change public behaviour - many cases of drunkenness can be witnessed early morning or evening.
The other area of the inquiry I do not agree with is in regard to police "move on" powers. The police clearly consider these powers to be "useful" and since introduction have worked well. The fact that they have been used on occasions suggests the potential benefit. However my understanding is that the power has only resulted in one case coming before the courts.
I believe our police force (AFP) perform their difficult role very well and need much greater recognition from both legislators and the wider community.
Mr Speaker, this inquiry and consequently the report we are tabling today, came before us as a result of the introduction of legislation for police move-on powers. I am sure that the power, as I have already stated and as the police have said on many occasions, is basically working well. A number of potentially dangerous situations have been prevented and it is proving to be a useful tool in assisting police on the beat in the community policing that this report talks so much about which helps prevent offences, especially street offences.
In conclusion, I would like to say that I fully participated in this inquiry. I considered it was to be a worthwhile one, but at the end of the day I do not believe that anything came out of it that we did not already know.
DR KINLOCH (10.53): Mr Speaker, as the Residents Rally member on the Social Policy Committee I am happy to join my committee colleagues from other parties to ask the Assembly to accept this report on public behaviour. I ask both the Government and all the members of the Assembly to act in
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