Page 286 - Week 01 - Thursday, 14 February 1991
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I commend these Bills to legislatures elsewhere. I believe that we have related them to other administrative legal precepts. They may set some minor model in that type of legislation. As the Opposition knows, the Government has a proposal for a judicial commission in its legislative program. Whether that proceeds or not is a matter, of course, for the Government; but there are elements of the more modern inquisitorial and inquiry provisions that will correlate to the instruments before the house today.
Mr Berry made some comments about an inquiry that is under way in New South Wales. I want to set the record straight. Of course, I have an excellent working relationship with the New South Wales Attorney, John Dowd, among other Attorneys in this country, and the Federal Attorney, Michael Duffy. The suggestion that there is some cabal formed is entirely inappropriate. Mr Berry should know that this particular royal commission was set up by the Premier of New South Wales, as far as I can determine, and, in fact, is not a matter that has been necessarily driven by my parliamentary colleague Mr Dowd.
The other matter of curiosity from Mr Berry's speech that I will comment upon is his apparent desire that there be an inquiry into the BWIU. Of course, it may advantage the Left of the Labor Party in this Territory for our Government to launch upon such an inquiry and I trust that when this Hansard reaches the Trades and Labour Council the Council will consider what tactics are unfolding from the Socialist Left faction of the Australian Labor Party in the Territory at the moment.
I can assure Mr Berry and the house that the Chief Minister and the Government here today are not going to be fooled or pushed into any impulsive decision in relation to the matters that Mr Berry raised. If he really has an agenda to secure that inquiry into the right wing that he perceives may exist up at the TLC, I can inform Mr Berry that we are not going to play his factional games - in any case, on this side of the house.
The structure of Canberra society is that we have community consultative structures that have been in place for a number of years, most of them dealing with the community grants programs. However, our Government, unprecedentedly, has been establishing committees to advise on and to inquire into matters that have had broad community representation and support. That is the foundation and the base - in matters of greater impact or matters requiring protection and privilege and empowerments - for those who wish to conduct further inquiries or committees under this legislation.
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