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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 11 Hansard (25 September) . . Page.. 3365 ..

MS FOLLETT (continuing):

but I will say that there is no doubt whatsoever in my mind that the surveillance cameras in use in Queensland have been subject to unauthorised and totally inappropriate release of video footage. Mr Osborne spoke about a number of instances, and I would like to comment, Madam Deputy Speaker, that there has also been release to the media of video footage.

I will table, for the information of members, some newspaper clippings which show, quite clearly, that video footage has been released to the media. Sometimes it appears to have gone to the newspapers. At other times the newspapers have picked it up from televised releases. In all cases, Madam Deputy Speaker, the release of these pictures of victims, these pictures of alleged crimes being committed, was unauthorised and totally inappropriate. It was a gross invasion of privacy for all concerned. I will table those rather poor quality documents.

Leave granted.

MS FOLLETT: Madam Deputy Speaker, in our discussions with the Queensland police, as Mr Osborne has mentioned, there were other instances of the inappropriate release of video film. In fact, in the notes which I have, which I took in the course of our conversation, I have noted three such instances. The first was where the tape was used by a police officer to be cleared of CJC allegations. As Mr Osborne has commented, there was another instance where the tapes were being used in the police training academy. I have a further note of a success story compilation video which the police had put together. In none of those instances would the release of those videotapes have fallen within the protocols which we were assured existed for the protection of privacy. So that is a clear concern to everybody on the committee.

Madam Deputy Speaker, I totally endorse the committee's finding that before we embark on the use of cameras in public places in Canberra we must have appropriate privacy legislation. I was also very pleased to see the Federal Attorney-General, Mr Daryl Williams, mention on the media that he has concerns about privacy and the use of video surveillance cameras. The interview with Mr Williams that I saw indicated that he would be moving legislation to protect people's privacy from video surveillance. If that is his course of action, I thoroughly endorse it. I think that it lends weight to the committee's first recommendation, or request perhaps, which was that our Attorney-General, Mr Humphries, take up these privacy issues on a national level. If Mr Humphries does that he may well find a receptive audience in his Federal counterpart.

Madam Deputy Speaker, on the question of the efficacy of video cameras, both of my committee colleagues have mentioned that there simply is no proof one way or the other. However, I do want to mention a couple of issues. The first is that there is no doubt in my mind that people feel safer when there are video cameras around. That is particularly the case in areas which have received a bad reputation, rightly or wrongly, as centres of crime. The other point in favour of the video cameras is their use as an evidentiary tool when it comes to prosecution for crimes. There was no doubt that the degree of

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