Page 3478 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 18 September 1991
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MR CONNOLLY (Attorney-General, Minister for Housing and Community Services and Minister for Urban Services) (3.51), in reply: I am pleased that the Assembly is generally supportive of this minor, though important, Bill. I was tempted by Mr Collaery's remark that he would like to get into some repartee with me, but that he did not really think it was a fair contest and it was inappropriate because we were both lawyers. He then went on to make some comments about how nice lawyers are.
I noted in the quotes of the week in this week's Bulletin a comment by the South Australian Attorney-General, Chris Sumner, himself a lawyer of long standing, who made a rather interesting comment. He said, "Lawyers are necessary, but they basically produce nothing", which is perhaps a view shared by many in the community; but the process of law reform is a full production in its manner.
Mr Collaery made some suggestion in his remarks that the Government would do well to review a lot of the old Acts on the statute book that currently provide for Crown immunity that may not be necessary. If Mr Collaery had paid attention - dare I say, for the sake of opening the repartee again - during the recent ministerial statement that was made on the Bropho decision, he would know that the Government has announced its clear intention.
As well as making clear in every forthcoming Bill the position as to whether or not the Crown is bound, the Government has indicated clearly that, through the Law Reform Unit, it would be going through all the Acts on the books - and we see them lined up in front of us there - to progressively review the situation and, as part of an ongoing law reform process, do exactly what Mr Collaery is suggesting. So, it is, indeed, a sensible suggestion. It is not surprising that it is a sensible suggestion because it echoes what the Government has previously announced is in its program.
Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, this Bill is a useful technical contribution to the law and I am pleased that all parties in the Assembly support it.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Bill agreed to in principle.
Leave granted to dispense with the detail stage.
Bill agreed to.
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