Page 4429 - Week 14 - Thursday, 9 December 1993
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Madam Speaker, I am aware that the Legal Affairs Committee of the Assembly has an interest in this matter. It is certainly not the Government's intention to proceed to debate this Bill until that committee has had the opportunity to make such inquiries and conduct such hearings as it feels appropriate, but the Government did feel that it was appropriate to nail its colours to the mast and join New South Wales and Tasmania, which have recently moved to abolish this right. I present an explanatory memorandum to the Bill.
Debate (on motion by Mr Humphries) adjourned.
DISCRIMINATION (AMENDMENT) BILL (NO. 3) 1993
MR CONNOLLY (Attorney-General, Minister for Housing and Community Services and Minister for Urban Services) (10.44): I present the Discrimination (Amendment) Bill (No. 3) 1993.
Title read by Clerk.
MR CONNOLLY: I move:
That this Bill be agreed to in principle.
Madam Speaker, the Discrimination (Amendment) Bill (No. 3) 1993 adds age to the grounds covered by the ACT Discrimination Act of 1991. This means that it will be unlawful to discriminate because of age in the areas of work, education, access to premises, goods, service and facilities, accommodation and clubs and in requests for information. The existing complaints mechanism will apply and those who believe that they have been discriminated against because of their age can lodge complaints with the ACT Human Rights Office. This is an important addition to the already comprehensive legislative framework that deals with the protection of human rights and completes the Government's commitment to protecting the people of the ACT from unfair age discrimination.
Earlier this year the Government released for the purposes of community consultation a discussion paper that looked at the issues and options for an age discrimination law in the ACT. That paper was widely circulated to interested individuals, community groups, employers, and union and employer groups. I am particularly pleased that so many in the community contacted my department expressing interest in and, for the most part, general support for the issue. It is the responses from these people that confirm in my mind the need for this legislation. The draft Bill included in the paper was not intended as the Government's final view on this matter. It did, however, reflect the experiences of other States that have introduced similar laws, and for this reason the Bill before the Assembly has required relatively few changes. I would like to thank those who took the time and made the effort to make submissions on this Bill and to assure them that all comments were given serious consideration. Comments were diverse and were very carefully balanced in considering the final form of the Bill.
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