Page 785 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 12 March 1991
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WEAPONS BILL 1991
[COGNATE BILL:
WEAPONS (CONSEQUENTIAL AMENDMENTS) BILL 1991]
Debate resumed from 14 February 1991, on motion by Mr Collaery:
That this Bill be agreed to in principle.
MR SPEAKER: Is it the wish of the Assembly to debate this order of the day concurrently with the Weapons (Consequential Amendments) Bill 1991? There being no objection, that course will be followed. I remind members that, in debating order of the day No. 2, they may also address their remarks to order of the day No. 3.
MR CONNOLLY (8.58): At the outset of my remarks I want to make it clear that the Labor Opposition will be supporting the Liberal-Residents Rally Government - - -
Mr Duby: Independents.
MR CONNOLLY: And the former No Self Government member. Now, I think, he calls himself Independent Government. We will be supporting them in proposing this Weapons Bill. This is legislation which, in its broad form, has been on the table of this Assembly since February 1990. The Weapons Bill 1990 was introduced on 22 February 1990 by this present Government.
There has been, as Mr Collaery indicated, a long and detailed process of negotiation leading to the lapsing of the 1990 Bill and the substitution of the Weapons Bill of 1991. But the two Bills, Mr Speaker, contrary to some misleading and mischievous statements that have been made by one member of this Assembly, are, indeed, in truth, very similar. One only need take a very cursory glance at the title pages of the two Bills to see the almost precise correlation between the 1990 Bill and the 1991 Bill. The Opposition is prepared to accept the Attorney-General's statements that the process of evolution has occurred as a result of consultations with shooters in the ACT as they are organised in the various gun clubs in this Territory.
Mr Speaker, the general issue of weapons control and gun laws to stamp out irresponsible practices is something that I think we would find broad agreement with. It is certainly something that would find broad agreement in that vast body of responsible recreational shooters. This is an issue that has been through this long process of consultation, and an issue in which there was very little public controversy in this Territory until after last weekend. What happened on the weekend? Well, Mr Speaker, a member of this Assembly, who often refers to the public's right to know and defence of the truth, called a public meeting on Friday night. He did not have the guts to identify himself. He put advertising in the papers of this
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