Page 4953 - Week 15 - Thursday, 8 December 1994
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
3 THE COMMITTEE DELIVERED ITS REPORT ON THE BILL IN OCTOBER THIS YEAR. APART FROM ONE MINOR TECHNICAL AMENDMENT THE COMMITTEE REJECTED ALL OF THE PROPOSED AMENDMENTS AND PROCEEDED TO RECOMMEND ADDITIONAL AMENDMENTS.
THE CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE, MR HUMPHRIES, AND I IN FACT DISCUSSED THOSE ADDITIONAL AMENDMENTS AT LENGTH BEFORE THE COMMITTEE DELIVERED ITS REPORT, AND I WAS PLEASED THAT WE WERE ABLE TO REACH AGREEMENT ON A NUMBER OF ISSUES:
NEVERTHELESS, THE GOVERNMENT HAS DECIDED TO WITHDRAW ITS BILL AND NOT PROCEED, AT THIS STAGE, TO PROPOSE THE ADDITIONAL AMENDMENTS TO THE ACT AS RECOMMENDED BY THE COMMITTEE.
MADAM SPEAKER, THE GOVERNMENTS COMMITMENT TO VICTIMS OF CRIME IS WELL KNOWN AND DEMONSTRATED BY ITS RECENT RESPONSE TO THE COMMUNITY LAW REFORM COMMITTEES REPORT ON VICTIMS INCLUDING THE PACKAGE OF VICTIMS LEGISLATION WHICH HAS BEEN BEFORE THE ASSEMBLY. COMPENSATION IS AN ESSENTIAL COMPONENT OF A SENSITIVE RESPONSE TO THE SPECIAL NEEDS OF VICTIMS, BUT I HAVE BEEN CONCERNED FOR SOME TIME ABOUT THE WAY THAT THE TERRITORYS COMPENSATION LEGISLATION IS BEING APPLIED.
THE COST OF THE SCHEME IS GROWING EXPONENTIALLY EVERY YEAR, AND HAS INCREASED FROM $700,000 IN 1990/91 TO OVER $3 MILLION LAST YEAR, AND MY OFFICERS ESTIMATE THAT IT WILL INCREASE ANOTHER $1 MILLION THIS YEAR - TO $4 MILLION DOLLARS.
4953
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .