Page 3241 - Week 11 - Thursday, 12 September 1991
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duties. I see Mr Stefaniak smiling, or is he grimacing? I think he is predicting that there might be a little bit of a run into single member electorates here, but I will give it a miss on this one and save it until later on. I will not make any mention of the try d'Hondt system that has been - - -
Mr Stefaniak: Registrars and deputy registrars form part of a d'Hondt system, not single member electorates. There is more than one of them.
MR SPEAKER: Order, Mr Stefaniak!
MR BERRY: I think there would probably be some justification in the Speaker pulling me up on that one. I think it is important to address this issue of status because our officials do deserve to be treated with the same respect as officials in other States. For them to be left out in the cold, so to speak, on such a small thing as their title would be an oversight that we ought not tolerate. So, on that score, Mr Speaker, I am happy to support the proposed legislative change.
MR COLLAERY (11.44): I rise briefly to express similar, though differently worded, support for these amendments. This is a timely phase in the development of our excellent court system. It is only too bad that the Magistrates Court and the apparatus around it is not moving to proper recognition of its status in our community. Its civil jurisdiction is larger than most of the justice of the peace type magistrates courts elsewhere in Australia. It is in many respects a district court and, sadly, we are not seeing proposals, even at that level, proceeding under this Government. I think it has been an unnecessary rebuff to our magistracy who perform an excellent task.
I also welcome, as did Mr Berry, the development of professional recognition for those people who work so hard behind the scenes in our Magistrates Court. I want to take this opportunity to publicly acknowledge the work of the clerks in our Magistrates Court, particularly those in the Childers Street complex who deal so dedicatedly, over so many long hours, with the domestic violence jurisdiction. Names come to mind - George Hardiman and Mark O'Neill. I am naming only two; but there are many others there who do so much work for the community, much of it out of hours. They attend many seminars. They do so much to pursue the protection of members of the community. They well deserve better titles.
I am not saying yet that they should be paid more, but I am sure the Treasurer is listening. They are good members of that range of public officials who do the right thing in our community and work very hard in strained circumstances behind the scenes. I do hope that they can receive better office accommodation in due course under a proposal which we put forward for the development of a legal precinct.
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