Page 4245 - Week 14 - Thursday, 24 October 1991
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The issue has been before that intergovernmental committee, at the last meeting in Canberra, and at the meeting today in Melbourne there will be a process of a joint meeting between the Commonwealth, State and Territory Ministers with responsibility for the NCA and the parliamentary committee to try to resolve difficulties and tensions relating to access to information in relation to the NCA by parliamentarians.
We would agree with and support in principle what Mr Collaery says. I think Mr Collaery is accurately and fairly reporting the views of the present chair of the National Crime Authority, who wants more accountability and who quite properly says that it is better for this body to be operating under clearly defined scrutiny to avoid those criticisms of "Star Chamber" and so forth that were mentioned by Mr Collaery in his speech. There is clearly a will from the authority to fix this problem up; there is clearly a desire at the level of the Commonwealth Government. Mr Collaery referred to the remarks of the Liberal Opposition and I think that clearly reflected the views of Liberal parliamentarians and Labor parliamentarians on the hill; they want to get this fixed.
I think State and Territory governments want to have a resolution; but I think it would be better for the Territory to await the outcome of those fairly sensitive talks between the ministerial forum representing all States and Territories who are party to the National Crime Authority scheme - which, once we pass this legislation, will be every jurisdiction in Australia - and the parliamentary joint committee, which is an all-party committee. They are working towards a resolution. I am advised that a resolution is close and I would say to this Assembly: Do not jump the gun on this. Let us not bolt and pre-empt what may be an amicable agreement, and let us not put a potential major hiccup in the process of the ACT becoming a party to this fairly important body.
We said at the introductory stage, and I think I said it again at the early stage of the detail stage, that we would hope that the ACT may never have to involve itself in an NCA reference. Tasmania has been a party since day one and has not had to involve itself in a reference. So, this is very much insurance against a future day. But, on this extraordinarily sensitive issue of the extent to which the activities of this body are accountable and open to the scrutiny of parliamentary committees, both federally and in the jurisdictions, while acknowledging the correctness of the principle that Mr Collaery has espoused and Mr Moore has reiterated, and acknowledging that the Government accepts that in principle that is right, I would urge members of the Assembly to exercise caution.
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