Page 1609 - Week 06 - Thursday, 3 May 1990
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they would both be employed under, I presume, the Public Service Act and the Australian Federal Police Act. As yesterday's Hansard will reveal, I indicated to the Assembly that one of the questions facing the negotiating team was to decide whether to have a single employing piece of legislation under one Act. Far from suggesting they would be employed under two, I indicated that civilians and the police should be brought under one Act. Further, Mr Speaker, I want to read to the Assembly section 8 of the Australian Federal Police Act 1979. It says, quite explicitly:
The functions of the Australian Federal Police are -
(a) the provision of police services in relation to the Australian Capital Territory ...
Clearly, the choice is between the AFP and the AFP because Federal law says the functions of the AFP are the provision of police services in relation to the ACT, and no law or contract we make can overrule that at this stage. It may well be that the outcome of negotiating matters, as is known to my colleague the Chief Minister, will be that there is an amendment to that, but no report has come forward from the working group yet indicating a position on the question of whether there will be a unified piece of legislation or a separate piece of legislation.
MRS GRASSBY: I ask a supplementary question. Obviously Mr Collaery does not know anything about it. It has already been done under a parliamentary Act. Are you using this as an excuse to do nothing? Maybe we should table it so he knows something about his portfolio. Obviously he knows nothing about it.
MR COLLAERY: Mr Speaker, clearly there is a decision to be taken by our Government as to how we conduct the civilian support, if there is to be any, to the Australian Federal Police in its operations if we finalise discussions in the ACT. The Federal Government has established a legislative charter for the Australian Federal Police, and that is one of the aspects of the negotiations at the moment.
Mrs Grassby: Just another excuse to do nothing.
MR COLLAERY: The legislation that Mrs Grassby is referring to is part of the general documentary background to the negotiations.
Gowrie Hostel
MR STEFANIAK: My question is to the Chief Minister. Chief Minister, what action has the Government taken in connection with the Commonwealth's proposed sale of the Gowrie Hostel.
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