Page 1670 - Week 06 - Thursday, 20 May 1993
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
which they are licensed would be committing an offence. There is no provision in the Act for carriage of weapons for self-protection or for drilling activities. Members of the Australian Defence Force are, of course, exempt from the provisions of the Act in relation to weapons which are carried in the course of their duties.
As I have just indicated, the Weapons Act would effectively preclude the possibility of a private militia being raised in the ACT. In addition, section 27 of the Commonwealth Crimes Act of 1914 makes unlawful drilling an offence. This section, which may be brought into operation by a proclamation of the Governor-General, provides that a person who trains or drills any other person in the use of arms or the practice of military exercises or movements, or is in fact present at any meeting for that purpose, is guilty of an offence, the penalty for which is imprisonment for five years. A person who is trained or drilled in this way is also liable for two years' imprisonment. Since Mr Stevenson is so very fond of quoting the Bill of Rights, he might be interested to know that the document also prohibits the raising of a standing army. I quote from it again:
That the raising or keeping of a standing army within the kingdom in time of peace unless it be with the consent of Parliament is against law.
MADAM SPEAKER: I call Mr De Domenico.
Mr Stevenson: I thought I had him. Perhaps next time.
MADAM SPEAKER: If you were a member of the Liberal Party, perhaps it would have been this time.
Mr Stevenson: I have liberal values.
Ambulance Service - Overtime and Redundancy Payments
MR DE DOMENICO: Madam Speaker, my question without notice is to the Deputy Chief Minister, Mr Berry. I refer the Minister to the second inquiry being undertaken by the Health Department into the alleged illegal overpayments to ambulance officers. Noting that the report has been in the hands of the department heads for several days, when will its findings be made public?
MR BERRY: The Investigations Unit was asked to examine, as you may recall, certain aspects of payments to ambulance officers. Mr De Domenico is smitten with the need to go for working trade unionists in relation to their wages and working conditions, and to seek, wherever he can, to undermine them. His overzealousness in that respect has shown through in this place many, many times. Investigation of those aspects of payments to ambulance officers confirmed that some overpayments had been made. After receiving the report some further issues were raised with the general manager in charge of the Ambulance Service, and these are now being investigated within ACT Health. An authorised officer deals with this sort of process and there is a reporting arrangement which may or may not involve disciplinary procedures.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .