Page 3742 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 9 December 1992
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ADJOURNMENT
MADAM SPEAKER: Mr Humphries, I have to interrupt you. It being 4.30 pm, I propose the question:
That the Assembly do now adjourn.
Mr Berry: I require the question be put forthwith without debate.
Question resolved in the negative.
SCRUTINY OF BILLS AND SUBORDINATE LEGISLATION -
STANDING COMMITTEE
Report
Debate resumed.
MR HUMPHRIES: Let me put it this way: Suppose that a Bill had come forward which said simply and unequivocally, "We intend to make bail available to people who breach domestic violence orders". Assume that there were no technical faults in the Bill. The question is: Would the committee have commented? Would it have said, "This is a matter that is occurring and that we bring to the attention of the Assembly because the Assembly should be aware of it."? The answer is clearly no. It is not our role to make comments on the policy matters which come before the Assembly. That, I argue, is exactly what occurred with this particular piece of legislation. To the extent that the committee - - -
Mr Kaine: It was an omission rather than a statement.
MR HUMPHRIES: It was an omission rather than a statement, yes. That is the way that the adviser to the committee saw it. That is the way I saw it. That is the way Ms Szuty saw it. What the Attorney has said simply takes the committee further than it actually has been before. If the Government feels that this is a proper role for the Scrutiny of Bills Committee, then I think it is incumbent on it to show us some point in the past where the committee has picked up such a role and played such a role. I am not aware of it having done so. I have been through a number of back reports, and I cannot find such references. Perhaps the Attorney can enlighten us as to where they may be found.
Madam Speaker, I put this on the record because I think that we have to know where we are going in future and not be in the position of having a confusion in the committee or on the floor of the Assembly as to what exactly the role of the Scrutiny of Bills Committee is all about.
MR CONNOLLY (Attorney-General, Minister for Housing and Community Services and Minister for Urban Services) (4.32): I want to make some brief remarks. At the outset I want to make it clear that no criticism of the Scrutiny of Bills Committee was intended. I was asked by a journalist how a technical error in a Bill had got through, and I said, "Well, these things happen. I did not see it" - putting blame on myself first - "my advisers did not see it, the Opposition did not see it and the Scrutiny of Bills Committee did not see it".
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