WITHDRAWAL OF ORDER OF THE DAY

MR MOORE (11.57): I ask for leave of the Assembly to move a motion to withdraw order of the day No. 1, private members business.

Leave granted.

MR MOORE: I move:

That order of the day No. 1, private members business, relating to the Legislative Assembly (Broadcasting of Proceedings) Bill 1995, be withdrawn from the notice paper.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

CRIMES (AMENDMENT) BILL 1995

Debate resumed from 11 May 1995, on motion by Mr Humphries:

That this Bill be agreed to in principle.

MR CONNOLLY (11.58): Tempting as it is for the Opposition to put out a “Government and Moore Cannot Get Their Bills Right” press release, I do understand that there was a fairly technical view taken of the compatibility between the Bills and the long titles and that, rather than argue the toss, it was thought best to reintroduce the Bills. So, we will let that one slide through.

The Opposition will be supporting the Crimes (Amendment) Bill that has been brought forward by Mr Humphries. It does three things, as he said in his speech and explanation. Firstly, it does away with some of the complication that can arise as to where a murder took place. In doing that, it is picking up some recommendations that were made through the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General in relation to model criminal procedures; those moves were occurring during the period I held that office. This is a sensible reform. There have not been many cases where this was crucial, but it can occur. There was a celebrated case in the ACT where, while bodies were discovered in the ACT, it had been a matter that originally had not been detected as a criminal offence. It was only later on, when the matter was reopened, that it was clear that this was a murder. The three people who the court subsequently found had been murdered perished as a result of some foul play which was attempted to be disguised, and was for a period successfully disguised, as a motor vehicle accident. Their bodies were discovered near the border, but it was very difficult to establish whether the actual killing had occurred within the ACT or across the border. That matter had to go to the High Court at the end of the day to resolve the law in those circumstances.

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