Page 2799 - Week 09 - Thursday, 26 August 1993
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What this Bill does, Madam Speaker, is to expand the list of officials and functionaries before whom an acknowledgment of paternity can be declared. That really says most of what one would have to say about the Bill. The old list of authorised witnesses includes the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages, now, of course, the Registrar-General; a commissioner for declarations under the Commonwealth Statutory Declarations Act; a legal practitioner; a registrar or clerk of the court, or a minister of religion. That is a fairly wide list. The list has been expanded beyond that and now includes, for example, members of the Commonwealth Parliament, members of State parliaments, and members of the Legislative Assembly.
I might make a small observation here. I am reading from the Statutory Declarations Act 1991 and the Schedule to that Act, according to the version that I have been given. It refers to a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Australian Capital Territory. It is a very small point, but I think that members will find that this body is the Legislative Assembly for the Australian Capital Territory. I do not know whether that makes it impossible for us to attest these documents. Perhaps the Minister can tell us. He has some advisers out the back there and he can go and ask them. The list includes sheriffs' officers, dentists, pharmacists and veterinary surgeons. We seem not to have firemen here. I do not know why that is, Madam Speaker. They seem to have been left off. It also includes warrant officers, bank managers, bank officers and so on. So, Madam Speaker, those wishing to get their paternity attested to can now go to any of those people to have that document witnessed. The Bill is quite commendable. I commend it to the house.
MR CONNOLLY (Attorney-General, Minister for Housing and Community Services and Minister for Urban Services) (4.52), in reply: I can assure Mr Humphries that I have just obtained a queen's counsel's opinion that says that a reference to the Legislative Assembly of the Australian Capital Territory would be read to refer to the Legislative Assembly for the Australian Capital Territory. Fortunately, Mr Hunt was present and the Chief Minister - - -
Mr Berry: How much did that cost?
MR CONNOLLY: It did not cost us any particular additional amount. That is perhaps the quickest example of a queen's counsel's opinion that members will ever see. I thank Mr Humphries for his support. This is a comparatively minor piece of legislation. The significant amendments in relation to the status of persons who were once referred to as persons who were illegitimate were achieved in 1988. The principal Act says that all children are of equal status whether they were the issue of married or non-married persons. This Government is taking that reform strategy further with the major discussion paper and draft legislation that it tabled some little while ago on de facto relationships. When that package is finessed through our extensive process of community consultation, which is another hallmark of this Government, we will be leading Australia in this type of social justice reform.
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