Page 3580 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 12 October 1994
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Recommendation 81 says:
That legislation decriminalising drunkenness should place a statutory duty upon police to consider and utilise alternatives to the detention of intoxicated persons in police cells.
The Chief Minister's response was that the ACT Government has agreed to the development of legislation which will give effect to this recommendation. What stage has been reached in imposing a statutory duty on enforcement officers to consider alternatives? The answer is that we do not know. I could go on for page after page, Madam Speaker, about things that this Government is supposed to be doing as a result of this report, and all we get is, "We are considering it. We have hired a consultant. We are looking at the question. We will do it at some time in the future".
Madam Speaker, I have spoken at some length about a matter which I consider to be of national importance. In the ACT we are fortunate to have escaped the kind of blight that other more remote, less fortunate communities have experienced. The Opposition notes what the Government says that it has done - I repeat, says that it has done - in response to these recommendations. We eagerly await the next thrilling chapter, which we hope, first of all, will consume fewer trees, and come to this chamber without delay, such as befell the report we are now debating, and with the gaps filled in with truly useful information instead of a lot of platitudes. Our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander friends in this community are equally as eager as we are to see some positive results, but we have not seen any yet.
MS FOLLETT (Chief Minister and Treasurer) (5.28), in reply: I did not realise that there were no other speakers. Madam Speaker, I believe that the tabling of the 1992-93 ACT Government implementation report in June of this year has demonstrated that we have made significant progress - that is, progress by the Government in consultation and in cooperation with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community - towards implementing the 339 recommendations of the royal commission. In the course of that implementation, as I am sure members are aware, the real task that is before us is to redress the economic, social and political disadvantage that has been suffered by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples over many years.
Mr Kaine has made much of the fact that, in his view, this report was tabled very late. What I will say, Madam Speaker, is that each of the 339 recommendations has been addressed. They have been addressed, I believe, in a substantial manner, and they cover an enormous amount of ground. Mr Kaine appears, on the one hand, to be arguing for a greater level of detail in the response under each recommendation and, on the other hand to be saying that we should not have included so much detail in the report. I was unable to discern the logic of his position, Madam Speaker; but, as usual, I think it is a case of Mr Kaine's bile getting the better of him rather than a reasoned approach to what is a substantial document.
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