Page 4703 - Week 16 - Wednesday, 28 November 1990
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was tabled in the Assembly when we last discussed this matter, dated 17 October 1990, and the police report - I noticed that Mr Connolly did not have the good grace to quote it and acknowledge it - last year there were 159 such arrests, but this year, in the same period, there were 102, as I read it. That is a drop of 30 per cent in relation to what I have often regarded as a rather noxious charge.
Mr Speaker, I simply take the view that there is a situation of public order affecting this Territory. As the Standing Committee on Social Policy has acknowledged, it has to do with drinking. If you look at annex A of one of the reports from which Mr Connolly has quoted selectively, you will see an incredible correlation. I have told the police that I want to know where these move-on powers are used, such as, at the bus interchange, Garema Place, East Row - you do not need to guess what they are referring to at East Row - Weedon Close and Chandler Street, Belconnen. I will not name establishments - that would be commercially unfair - but I leave it to you to guess.
Mr Wood: It is quite fair. I will name them.
MR COLLAERY: Through you, Mr Speaker: Mr Wood, I will not name commercial establishments at this stage because we are in the process of upgrading our machinery in the Liquor Act. That Bill is to come before the house this week. As you well know, we are toughening up our procedures in relation to these establishments. There is a correlation. I am also responsible for safety, and I receive complaints. I recently received a complaint about loutish, sexist behaviour towards women from patrons of a well-known terrace-type bar in the city. There is a youth justice coalition in the city. Numbers of groups are finely and properly attuned to these civil liberties issues; but I am not in receipt, nor is the public, of any level of complaint about the manner in which the move-on power is being used.
Under the community policing arrangements there is effective and constant dialogue with a community policing unit around the youth centre in Garema Place. The community workers have endorsed the view that this is a new and good development.
I am not going to say that every direction given by a constable will always be properly based. I acknowledge that there have been two complaints to the internal affairs tribunal - one complaint that was alluded to by Mr Connolly, affecting a son of a well-known person, and another complaint in relation to an incident that involved, on my advice, up to 150 people outside a drinking place in Manuka. I am not going to say that we will never have complaints; but, when you look at the statistics with regard to the 117 situations in which the move-on power has been used since its introduction, you will see that 1,670
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