Page 1097 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 20 March 1991
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Food and Wine Frolic in Commonwealth Park. This number included traffic, general duties and specialist police. Total overtime costs amounted to $10,640 and total penalty payments came to $8,786. I am further advised that the crowd was generally well behaved. However, a total of four persons were arrested - two for offensive behaviour, one for assaulting police and resisting arrest, and one for a drug related offence. One Australian Federal Police member received minor burns when a cup of hot coffee was thrown over him whilst he was walking through the crowd. In addition, six persons were taken into protective custody for drunkenness.
An estimated 80,000 people participated in the event. The number of arrests, therefore, is relatively small. I think this demonstrates two things. Firstly, it clearly demonstrates the value of forward planning by the Canberra Festival organisers, police and other interested ACT agencies to ensure that such a major event runs smoothly and can be enjoyed by all elements of the community. It also demonstrates, in my view, the problems in the proposal put forward today by Mr Berry in his Intoxicated Persons (Care and Detention) Bill.
It is proposed by Mr Berry, at clause 6 of his Bill, that where a person is found intoxicated in a public place and is behaving in a disorderly manner, among other things, that person can be detained and taken to a prescribed place, which could be a police station, and held for more than eight hours. I have already stated publicly how astounded I am, as Attorney, to find a Bill of that nature propounded in a democracy. It is the most extraordinary proposal I have ever seen. I do not know where he got it from. Clearly he did not read it. If he had read it he would know that, while subparagraphs (b) and (c) of his clause 6 are probably acceptable, subparagraph (a) would mean that a large number of the people at the Food and Wine Frolic could, in theory, be detained.
It is an astounding threat to civil liberties by a person who stood outside the Assembly and pushed us along over a watered down move-on powers Bill. It is extraordinary - - -
Mrs Grassby: This was your Law Office.
MR COLLAERY: The member for the vowel brigade out in Belconnen is suggesting that it is my Law Office - - -
Mr Connolly: On a point of order: What is this reference to "member for the vowel brigade"? Is it some sort of slur on the ethnic community or what?
MR COLLAERY: A-E-I-O-U, Mr Speaker.
Mrs Grassby: We know that he is racist against ethnic communities.
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