Page 2671 - Week 09 - Thursday, 9 August 1990
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acclaimed by governments and oppositions throughout Australia and by the government and non-government sectors.
Mr Burdekin was particularly determined that this would not be a report that would grace the shelves of parliamentarians and public servants and social workers throughout Australia. He was determined that this report would be acted on, and as a result of that adopted the strategy of inviting specific responses from the State, Territory and Commonwealth governments. As a result of that the Territory was invited to respond by December 1989.
The Follett Labor Government prepared that response and presented it on 4 December 1989, but, of course, on 5 December 1989 that Government, our Government, was removed from office. I think it is very important, in examining the Alliance Government's response to the Burdekin report, to note how closely that response corresponds to the Follett response. Where there have been changes they have all, unfortunately, been changes for the worse.
Mr Acting Speaker, I will go sequentially through the recommendations on the law and legal needs and services aspect of the Burdekin report. Recommendation 21.1 was a recommendation to improve access to legal advice. In this recommendation the Alliance response merely picks up Labor's provision of $100,000 to the conflict resolution service. I am personally aware of the very good work that that service does, as I am sure is Mr Collaery, and I would hope that where the Alliance Government continued that funding over this current budget period, a continuing commitment will be given to that very important service. Again, it is a provision of funds to avoid legal action - alternatives to the formal legal procedures.
Recommendation 21.2 referred to the provision of an independent person to be present during police questioning. In this aspect, Mr Acting Speaker, Labor's response was far more specific on the need for an independent person who is able to give qualified advice to a child, free of either pro- or anti-police bias. The Labor response made specific promises for an official visitors scheme for the Quamby Centre. That specific promise is absent from the Alliance response to the Burdekin report, and the Opposition can but hope that, absent though it is from the formal response, that scheme will still see implementation.
Recommendations 21.3 and 21.4 relate to the problem of bail and homeless young people. This is an issue which has been controversial in recent weeks and in your usual hat, not as Acting Speaker, we have had some dramatic public differences. Bail is a major problem for homeless young people. In States where the common law applies, which includes the Australian Capital Territory, the basic question for a magistrate confronted with a person charged with an offence when bail is sought is twofold: is there a risk to the community and is the person likely to attend for the hearing?
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