Page 1112 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 20 March 1991
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I note that my two Assembly colleagues made some mention of that in their additional comments to this report. Dr Kinloch and Mr Stevenson recommended that licensing hours cease at 4.00 am each day and recommence at 8.00 am. I do not think I would have any particular problem with that. I note that the police recommendation was 4.00 am to 10.00 am. I think that there is no justification for licences to really continue between the hours of 4.00 am and 8.00 am, or 10.00 am, especially when we have ample evidence of the problems caused by drunks leaving establishments - damage caused to property and damage caused, indeed, to people. We continually see the results of that. That is something that I would like to see introduced.
I initially raised with Mr Holding, prior to the Assembly commencing, the possibility of banning the consumption of alcohol in certain areas. I also mentioned that matter during the course of this debate. I note that in South Australia they gazette certain dry areas. We have some dry areas in the ACT. I note that part of the Bruce Stadium is, in fact, a dry area where people can take their families and sit there without worrying about persons abusing alcohol. In some of the trouble spots, that again is something that the Government and this Assembly can look at. The relevant Minister could be empowered to proclaim certain dry areas when certain trouble spots really do become most evident. We have a few of those in this city at present.
There is one other point I would make in relation to the public behaviour inquiry. It might be prudent for the Assembly and the Government to follow up a further point mentioned in the course of the report, and that is, what to do with persons who commit damage as a result of their rather bad public behaviour. What I recommend there is that we should explore one of the points raised before the committee, and that was making defendants repair the results of their illegal actions, either through community service orders, or otherwise. (Extension of time granted)
Basically, a number of studies were put before the committee from other States and, indeed, from other jurisdictions outside Australia, whereby offenders were made to repair their handiwork. That is something that the courts would probably like to do, and whatever legislative reforms are necessary should be put in place by this Assembly. There is no better way to bring home to offenders - certainly young offenders - the error of their ways than by making them fix up the damage they cause to the community.
MR HUMPHRIES (Minister for Health, Education and the Arts) (3.54): I should just refresh the memory of members of the Assembly about the circumstances under which this report of the Social Policy Standing Committee was commissioned. Those members who were here will recall that in the midst of the debate about the move-on powers Bill presented by Mr Stefaniak there was a motion from the then Government - I
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