Page 802 - Week 03 - Thursday, 22 March 1990
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For similar reasons, I am really dedicated to first-class legislation on this issue. I do not believe I should have to compromise for the political expediency of having half the issues partly addressed and bring in an inadequate piece of legislation. I realise that it can be said, and will be said, no doubt by some on the benches opposite, that this is an excuse for delay. I simply assure the Assembly that hardly a day goes past when I do not talk to my law officers and ask them how certain issues are going, most of which relate to this package.
I do not raise some of these concerns out of any attempt to take a shot at the Leader of the Opposition. I point out that the review of landlord and tenant legislation was addressed in the paper on the law reform program of the ACT. The rental bond board legislation is being developed and has a great deal of complexities to it, as the former Minister for housing well knows. We have made definite pronouncements by the Alliance Government that we are going that way; we are not resiling from it. Both Mr Kaine and I have put our words to that one.
The Leader of the Opposition mentioned uniform trade measurement legislation, and said that a consumer group is mocking that because a move towards uniformity is really a move to some temporised middle ground. It is an established convention now in the country that we try to look for uniformity within our Federation first and then, if we cannot achieve that, move towards our own one-off legislation.
I do not think my comments would be complete without mentioning the need to examine the problem of discrimination surrounding HIV patients. They were referred to today in a detailed statement on the AIDS issue by my colleague Mr Humphries. We did not know you were putting on this MPI. That detailed statement had been prepared well in advance of today, and is proof that we had those human rights concerns to mind long before you put us on our feet on this issue. I want first-class legislation in this area, too. The HIV virus issue has some great, complex issues associated with it.
I am advised that the issues relating to merit and equal opportunity are being addressed in a number of areas. I am pleased to say and note that my colleague Mr Duby and officers of his department are moving towards a final stage of some delicate, competent and effective negotiations with the fire brigade and its officers and staff, to ensure that a provision in the fire brigade legislation refers to promotion by seniority, which will become inconsistent with the merit provisions of our equal opportunity legislation which will be amended, hopefully, by consent and negotiation. I wait to hear Mr Berry put his support to the removal of the seniority discrimination in that legislation, and I challenge him to do that in this debate. I believe the people of the ACT are entitled to hear him state whether he believes that the Fire Brigade
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