Page 4713 - Week 16 - Wednesday, 28 November 1990
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I am amazed that the Labor Party introduced this Bill into the Assembly, given that the Police Offences (Amendment) Bill 1989 was introduced and passed. It was gazetted in September last year, and it has a two-year sunset clause which will enable that Act to be reviewed in 1991. I am not sure why the Bill to rescind the move-on power was introduced. Mr Wood might explain that in his summing-up a little later.
It can hardly be said that it is about political point-scoring because one has only to realise how many people are in favour of the move-on powers that are currently in place. I would like to read into the record a poll from the Canberra Times of 19 August 1989. It refers to the move-on powers and states:
Canberra people are strongly in favour of police getting more move-on powers and believe that prostitution should be legalised, according to a Canberra Times -Datacol poll.
The poll of 651 people, taken over the past 10 days, shows that 69 per cent of all respondents favoured police getting more powers, with women (73 per cent) more in favour than men (66 per cent).
Twenty-five per cent of the population surveyed were against the powers and the rest were unsure.
That shows overwhelmingly that there is support out there in the community. Given that the Police Offences (Amendment) Act 1989 has been in force for over a year and I believe that it has been working extremely well, I am not quite sure now why we are told by Mr Connolly, as we were this morning, and other members of the Labor Party that the Act is inappropriate. In the Attorney-General's comments this morning he quoted some figures in relation to the use of the move-on powers, which clearly indicate that not only have the powers been effective but also they have not unduly affected people's rights and freedoms.
I would like to expand on some of those figures. From 6 September 1989, when the move-on powers were introduced, until 30 June this year, of the 1,670 people to whom directions to move on were given, only 13 were arrested. Of those 13 people, six have been found guilty, and fines ranging from $40 to $150 have been imposed by the court. Charges against two were proven without a conviction being recorded and, as was mentioned earlier by Mr Connolly, one charge was withdrawn. As members are aware, this related to an incident involving Mr Bernard Whalan. The Attorney-General referred to that earlier today. Two charges were dismissed by the magistrate, principally because he considered that a direction had been given to a group, in contravention of the provisions of the Act. Charges relating to three people have been set down for hearing. (Quorum formed)
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