Page 1203 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 24 June 1992
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commitment to implementing this portability scheme in all of the States and Territories. In Tasmania, where there is a Liberal government, the legislation setting up the portability scheme has already passed through the lower house; and it is expected to pass through the upper house in July, I believe, as a matter of course.
If the ACT passes this legislation today, we will in fact be the first jurisdiction to have what I regard as a vital piece of legislation in place. I consider that it is an important part of the ACT's establishment as a self-governing entity that we do set an example for the other Australian jurisdictions by maintaining and continuing to demonstrate a quite uncompromising commitment to social justice in our legislative proposals. I believe that such a commitment is reflected in our policy towards legal aid. Despite cutbacks in some States, Labor has maintained funding levels of legal aid in the ACT and will continue to do so. As an adjunct to this, special resources continue to be devoted to persons needing legal assistance in relation to domestic violence.
The portability scheme that we are debating can be seen as an integral part of the Government's action plan to reduce levels of violence in our community. This can only improve the position of women and children, as I am sure members of this Assembly are aware. As Mr Moore pointed out in his comments, most domestic violence is committed against women and children. I consider that Labor has an impressive record in this Territory of improving laws designed to enhance the safety of private citizens. I believe that this record shows that we have adopted a strategy on many fronts to reduce violence, including the development of a specific crime prevention strategy. The broader strategy to reduce the level of violence has seen the Government initiate reforms in relation to the confiscation of weapons in domestic violence situations and, more generally, the setting up of a weapons register to monitor the level of firearms in the community and ensure that suitability for a weapons licence is taken into account before such a licence is issued.
Madam Speaker, we have also given the Community Law Reform Committee a reference developed from a number of issues which were drawn to my attention by the National Committee on Violence Against Women. The impetus for the referral to the Community Law Reform Committee came from a forum on domestic violence held last year by the Women's Consultative Council. It was at this forum that grave concerns were raised that the law was not being administered in the way that had been intended by the domestic violence legislation.
So, too, I am certain that the gap which exists in the law in the confinement of the protection offered by a protection order to the place in which the order was granted and the obvious difficulties this causes a person who is forced to flee violence was an unforeseen problem of an otherwise effective protection mechanism, notwithstanding the drawbacks in its administration. As a result of the process undertaken by the Community Law Reform Committee, an important reform package has been developed to improve our domestic violence laws. In addition, crucial proposals for the reform of the sexual assault laws are currently being developed by the Government.
Madam Speaker, this Bill for which we are seeking support concerns a fundamental aspect of the law. It concerns access to protection from personal violence, without which our commitment to social justice must surely be brought into question. I believe that it is integral to the process of responsible government
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