Page 952 - Week 03 - Thursday, 14 March 1991
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
Given the fact that that cannot be worked out easily at this stage, and given the fact that the financial issues are largely, as everyone candidly admits, uncharted waters, it seemed appropriate and prudent, in my view, to form the professional working parties that I have mentioned; to publicly advertise for people to join a committee to put their views to us; to require information from the police while they conduct themselves as they see fit within those terms of reference I read out; and to have those people meet an early reporting date.
Members will note that the reporting date is quite soon; it is May of this year. At that stage I believe that there may be more substance, coming from both the fiscal review and the community's input, for a smaller, more focused examination of the matter by this Assembly. I am not saying at this stage that we can overcome the problems I have mentioned earlier. There will be a need for bilateral discussions between governments and, presumably, protocols and understandings and things of that nature.
But both of our parliaments have largely untrammelled rights of inquiry within the conventions of parliament, and there is a clear problem for us having that review at this early stage with so little on the table and so much to find out about so many years of policing in the Territory. I endorse the comments that my colleague Mr Stefaniak made in the sense that he is telling the house to be confident that a delay in having any inquiry of the type that Mr Connolly called for will not be to the prejudice of the citizens of this Territory. I think that is an important aspect.
So, in summary, I am sure everyone appreciates that the police arrangement is probably one of the few areas where we are having a foreknowledge and an insight into taking on fiscal responsibilities before we do so - unlike in other sectors of government where the fiscal responsibilities were thrust upon us at the time of self-government. I believe that we need to work very carefully towards it. I accept without reservation the importance of select committees of inquiry, but I feel it is premature to have that type of searching inquiry - I believe that Mr Connolly used that word - at this stage. I believe that it would be better to soak up community opinion through that mechanism, to get the facts on the table and to find out exactly - both of us, Federal and Territory - what we have on our hands and how best we can deal with it.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .