Page 1464 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 17 April 1991
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Nevertheless, delays do arise for a variety of reasons, only some of which are within the control of the courts. Courts are prepared to deal with matters expeditiously when all those other factors of prosecution and defence are prepared. Very often the judges and magistrates are really variables of the preparation of the matters for trial or defence, or both, as the case may be.
Mr Speaker, it is also relevant to say, as some practising lawyers would be aware, that in this court judges do take into consideration time spent on remand. Time on remand in Belconnen can, in the present circumstances, be considerably better than time spent in another regime outside this Territory.
Planning Legislation
MR CONNOLLY: My question is to the Chief Minister in his planning capacity. Chief Minister, following criticism of the Government's so-called consolidated planning Bill by the ACT Law Society, the Canberra Association for Regional Development and the Building Owners and Managers Association, I understand that you have at last found a law firm prepared to say that this Bill is acceptable. I ask: How much did the Government pay Dunhill, Madden and Butler for their report? Why was this firm chosen, what was the selection procedure, and what were the terms of reference for the review?
MR KAINE: Mr Speaker, first of all, I would like to rebut the implication in Mr Connolly's question that after getting some criticism of our Bill we went and got an opinion. That simply is not the case. Concurrently with putting that Bill out for public consultation and referring it to the interested parties, we sought a legal opinion as to whether it was technically a good Bill. It had nothing to do with its content. So let us be clear. The sequence of events that you are implying simply is not the case. Frankly, I quite resent the implication that you think that I am somehow underhanded in that fashion. I would hope that you would withdraw any such implication. I do resent this kind of constant implication that somehow we over here are a bunch of crooks, and I want to set the record straight.
Mr Berry: Do not get so touchy about it. You protesteth too much.
MR KAINE: You can calm down, Mr Berry; you are not part of this discussion. Having put the lie to that implication in Mr Connolly's question, I will have to take on notice the question as to the process by which the contract for that work was let and what the price was. I do not know offhand. I will take that part of the question on notice.
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