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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 6 Hansard (19 June) . . Page.. 1846 ..

ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER COMMUNITY REPRESENTATIVES - INVITATION TO ADDRESS ASSEMBLY

Motion

MR OSBORNE (4.05): I ask for leave to move a motion to invite representatives of certain Aboriginal groups to appear before the Bar of the Assembly.

Leave granted.

MR OSBORNE: I move:

That:

(1) this Assembly, noting the apology arising from the report Bringing them home, invites representatives of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community from the ACT and surrounding region, as determined by the Speaker in consultation with the Standing Committee on Administration and Procedure, to appear before the Bar of the Assembly on Tuesday, 26 August 1997, at 10.30 a.m. for a maximum period of two hours to address the Assembly in relation to this matter;

(2) notwithstanding anything contained in the standing orders, the procedure for the addresses by the representatives shall be as follows:

(a) each representative, having been called by the Speaker, will be conducted to the Bar of the Assembly by the Serjeant-at-Arms and announced;

(b) the Speaker will ask the witnesses to give their full name and the capacity in which they are appearing;

(c) each representative shall have a maximum time of 15 minutes to address the Assembly;

(d) the foregoing rules shall in no way restrict the mode in which the Assembly may exercise and uphold its powers, privileges and immunities.

This motion is a very sensible one. Some people will probably stand up and argue about the way that this is being done. However, I very much believe in what we are trying to achieve here. As you are aware, on Tuesday this Assembly spoke on the Bringing them home report. The majority of members rose and spoke on it, all members offering an apology not only to the Ngunnawal people but to all Aboriginal people in general for the wrongs of the past. It was a very worthwhile debate and I am sure it was

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