Page 693 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 23 March 1993
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Mr Wood: I was quoting something.
MR CORNWELL: Fair enough. My position is the same on this issue. Despite the efforts of a few members - and Mr Moore and his urge for progressive legislation come immediately to mind - I do not believe that this Assembly should get too far ahead of the rest of Australia. I think that this whole matter - - -
Mr Moore: The same mistake that the rest of the Liberal Party made last week.
MR CORNWELL: We all know that Mr Moore is a media maniac when it comes to publicity. He will do anything for publicity, but I believe that issues such - - -
Mrs Grassby: You are right there. We will give you that one, Greg.
MR CORNWELL: Thank you. I seem to have unanimous support, Madam Speaker, for that statement. But it seems to me that questions such as the right of gay couples to adopt - or even your euthanasia proposals, Mr Moore - are not necessarily matters for a State or a Territory such as the ACT to debate in isolation. I think they are properly matters to be considered in a national context, and I trust that in due course that may come to pass.
MRS CARNELL (9.37): I, too, would like to make some brief comments, as we will have ample opportunity later this week to speak on the individual recommendations of the committee. I thought it necessary to put on record that I am extremely disappointed with some of the comments that Ms Ellis made. I believe that the committee process that we went through reflected an exceedingly positive and cooperative approach. Taking into account the comments that Ms Ellis made, I think it is necessary to put on record that the committee cooperatively chose to put off hearings for a month because Ms Ellis was away. She had every good reason to be away. The committee had every right - it had a quorum - to go ahead with hearings with just Mr Cornwell, Ms Szuty and me present. But because we on this side of the house - and the Independents as well - believe in the committee process we believed that it was exceedingly important to make sure that the recommendations of the committee mirrored the feelings of members as a whole. Unfortunately, Ms Ellis's comments indicated that the Government does not see it quite the same way.
Mr Kaine: You mean that she forgot that she was away for a month?
MRS CARNELL: It appears so. As I said, I am exceedingly disappointed. I think many of us - possibly all of us - on the committee did not get everything we wanted in the report. I would have liked the report to go substantially further in a couple of areas. This report shows that the art of compromise has not been lost. It also shows the very definite benefits of the committee structure in this Assembly and that greater use of committees can greatly enhance legislation and enhance the direction of this Assembly.
The recommendations, if the Government chooses to pick them up - and I understand that they will - will produce a piece of legislation that is fairer and that is perceived by many to be fairer. It will also have a more adequate appeal process. No one group will be treated differently from any other group.
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