Page 2872 - Week 10 - Thursday, 15 August 1991
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Children speak a special language. They often communicate, as we all know, through intermediaries. They will use someone else to get a message through. Anyone watching children's programs on television understands the medium to evoke a response that is used.
I would commend to members a visit to the sexual assault unit in this city - its unknown place should not be revealed - where types of processes are used to get a simple story from a child. Sometimes they use dolls if there is an anatomy issue at stake. The concern that we need to balance with this videoing is that artful video producers who may be aligned to the prosecution cause can bring about a colourful rendition that will sway us all. We all know how our views on issues go from night to night on television sometimes - "Is it the Croats, is it the Serbs, is it the Dalmatians?".
When liberty is at issue we cannot afford to have those swings, because when you are guilty, you are guilty. It is necessary, I think, for the Territory to look at the funding of this process as it develops and for the Attorney to make sure that the video process is adequately balanced in terms of the checks that have to be made. In the police case in Tasmania they agreed to the Law Society's request that the video camerapersons not be police. I think there is some good sense in that, apart from the fact that there seem to be spare video cameramen around these days. There is scope there for some moonlighting. I think the Attorney needs to take an interest in who is actually doing the videoing at the complaint stage, and whether that is completely neutral in its presentation. Mr Speaker, I thank members for letting me speak again.
MS MAHER (11.59): Mr Speaker, I rise in support of this very important piece of legislation. I believe that for too long children have been put through the horrific process of having to give evidence in court. I think that in some cases important evidence has not been presented to the court because adults did not want their children to be involved in this horrific process which leaves emotional scars on them for the rest of their lives.
As has been stated, the program has been on a trial basis since 1989. From the people I have spoken to, it is working extremely well. Obviously, that is why it is being continued. I think it is important to put in legislation that it continues. I think the sunset clause is important also while we wait for the report of the Law Reform Commission. The legislation allows for the extension of the process from the Magistrates Court to the Supreme Court when we take over next year.
So, Mr Speaker, I just put on the record that I think the legislation is extremely important. I commend the Government for putting it through and the Alliance Government for initiating it.
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