Page 4469 - Week 15 - Tuesday, 19 November 1991
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I think that the Bill will reflect the attitude, shared widely in this Assembly, that it is appropriate that human rights and equal opportunity issues be taken very seriously by members of this Assembly, as they are by all members of the community, and that we can work together, particularly this evening, to come out with the best possible Bill. When I finish going through each of the amendments and working out exactly the ramifications of them as we go, and as the debate continues, I am sure that we will come up with the best possible Bill that this Assembly can provide - one that we can use to protect people's rights throughout the ACT.
MRS NOLAN (10.12): Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, I will be supporting this Bill - the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Bill - which provides very comprehensive protection for the ACT community. It is unfortunate that, before this, no such legislation has been in place to protect us from discrimination or sexual harassment. It is unfortunate, too, that society today requires such legislation; but, unfortunately, there is an enormous need for complaint resolution. Social equity and promotion of equality of opportunity for the ACT community will protect the rights of those who are disadvantaged and discriminated against - in particular, women, people with disabilities and the aged, to name but a few.
It is unfortunate that there are people who discriminate against members of our community. Very often those members of our community are women. I could go on and elaborate on that, but that is probably not appropriate at this point in time. I will contain my remarks at this stage of the debate to two areas of particular concern to me. Those two areas are family responsibilities and age discrimination. I must say that I am pleased to see that the Chief Minister will continue to support the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General working party's reference to examine superannuation, compulsory age retirement and pensions. I am particularly concerned to see the results of the Federal working party regarding age discrimination.
Only today, many pages of amendments have been passed around. It is unfortunate that many of these were not discussed with other members prior to this evening. I must agree with Mr Humphries and others that these numerous amendments need to be looked at in some detail. As I said at the outset, I will be supporting this Bill. I am sure that this Bill reflects our concerns on this very important subject.
MS MAHER (10.15): I am happy to speak in support of this legislation. It is a comprehensive package of legislation which will go some way towards addressing various forms of unfair discrimination, both direct and indirect, which occur in the Territory. The concepts of unlawful discrimination and equality of opportunity are well deserving of full legislative support. At its best, the Bill will allow for the dignity of choice without undue
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