Page 3634 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 8 December 1992
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front page of the Canberra Times back in March with a big headline, "New ACT adoption laws set out". A big subheadline said "ACT Govt invites adoption feedback". Mr Moore took it upon himself to interest himself in the Bill and issued a press release. "Adoption Bill too secretive, says Moore" was the headline in the Canberra Times. He was critical about what we called then the privacy provisions and he called secrecy provisions.
Mr Moore: And you responded appropriately.
MR CONNOLLY: Quite appropriately, Mr Moore. At the end of the day we changed our mind. I note that the Canberra Times editorialised in a similar vein on 20 May. The overwhelming view of the community, as I said in the introduction speech, was that we had taken a too restrictive approach; perhaps a too conservative approach. We based our model on the Queensland model. We changed our mind to bring it into line with New South Wales. That and age were the two issues that were contentious. We had a provision which had a statutory age bar. I note that during the election campaign the Liberal Party, which again then was interesting itself in this issue and then seemed to know all about the draft legislation, said that they would move against the age bar. Well, we have moved against that.
Madam Speaker, my staff did a little bit of work in the library because they wondered why there was a lot of agitation this week from Mrs Carnell and Ms Szuty to delay this legislation. This was the most important issue for those two members and it had to be delayed. We had a little look at how much interest they have taken in this Bill to date. As I interjected on Mrs Carnell, I offered to every member of this Assembly - I include Mr Stevenson, who is not here at the moment - access to my officers for full briefing on this legislation. It was not taken up.
Mrs Carnell: When?
MR CONNOLLY: When it was introduced. When it was introduced in its final form. In fact, Madam Speaker, I probably breached Cabinet confidentiality by telling members opposite in advance of our formal decision to depart from the restrictive Queensland model and to move to the more open model. I told members that that was the direction in which we were heading. So, mea culpa; I did that. So, they knew what we were doing and I offered every member access to my officers for detailed briefing. Did they accept it? No.
This is the most important issue tonight; it has to go off to a committee; it has to be delayed. All those members of the community who are desperately wanting access to this more open adoption law have to cool their heels for months because these members think it is so important, and they did not even accept the offer of briefings from my officers. More than that, Madam Speaker, when my officers had a look in the library they found the fascinating feature that Mrs Carnell, who is the spokesperson on this issue, has managed to get herself reported 177 times this year, according to the press clippings. Somebody went down and counted them.
Mr Moore: That is in the print media.
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