Page 4816 - Week 16 - Monday, 25 November 1991
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It is unnecessary for us to move on this Bill at the moment. This Bill will be, in certain cases, inconsistent with Commonwealth legislation, so there will be one law that applies for certain offences and another law, that is the Collaery Bill, which will apply for others. It will lead to confusion for so long as there are two laws in force. It will certainly be inconsistent with the uniform approach that is recommended. For that reason, the Government is unable to support this measure because it is premature and runs contrary to the uniform agreement of the States and Territories of Australia and the Commonwealth to achieve a logical and rational approach to the provision of interpreter services. The Prime Minister's multicultural Australia initiative resulted in a lot of work - - -
Mr Collaery: It is premature - 30 years after we start migration!
MR CONNOLLY: Mr Collaery is muttering away about it being premature and 30 years too late. Again, it is the usual story. Mr Collaery, the great gunna, the great artillery man, is going to do it all when he is in opposition. What happened when he was in government? What was happening while he was in government, as was happening while other people were in government, was that a lot of work was being done. A considerable body of research was compiled. Persons with an interest in this area, ethnic communities councils and others, put a lot of effort into submissions to this national inquiry. It came out with a clear recommendation.
The Government thinks that is the way to go. Mr Collaery, instead, wants his hour in the sun, wants to strut around Canberra and pretend that he is the only person who is interested in multicultural affairs. I can see the press release now which will be saying that Labor rejects interpreter services.
Mr Collaery: I am not doing one. I already did it at 2 o'clock.
MR CONNOLLY: Well, there you go. See, he has already done it.
Mr Collaery: Right. I was on the radio after you.
MR CONNOLLY: He has already had his little stunt. The Government sees this as a stunt. It does not support it, because it believes that there is an active process under way now to achieve national uniformity in this important area. Interpreters are currently required to be used under the Australian Federal Police standing instructions. There are provisions in existing new Commonwealth legislation and legislation about to be in force - that is, the new Evidence Act which also governs this area.
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