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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 7 Hansard (26 June) . . Page.. 2192 ..

Mr Moore: Yes, the two safety protocols.

MR HUMPHRIES: There are other ways of producing protections in the circumstances. The Government's view, Mr Speaker, is that it is important to have that measure in place soon. We have heard, only in the last 24 hours or so, about the increase in juvenile crime in the ACT, supposedly at a greater rate than anywhere else in Australia.

Mr Moore: And cameras are going to help that? Come on, Gary!

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Moore asks, "Will the cameras help that?". The Legal Affairs Committee of the Assembly recommended that we proceed with a trial to find out. I was lectured the other day about not listening to Assembly committees. I am proposing to proceed with a trial to deal with these sorts of problems which were raised with me by an Assembly committee, and I think it is worth while doing that.

Mr Moore: And how will you look at the results of the trial? You reject the results of other trials, Gary. You rejected out of hand the results of the 4.00 am trial.

MR SPEAKER: Order! This is question time, not a dialogue.

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Moore is entitled to his point of view. It was not Mr Moore's question, though, was it? It was Ms Tucker's question. Mr Speaker, I can assure - - -

Mr Kaine: The next time for Mr Moore is three days.

MR HUMPHRIES: Yes, that is right. That is true. Three days. Watch out, Mr Moore.

Mr Speaker, I am going to put the position of the Government very clearly on the table. You can see that position and it is open to the Assembly to again stop that process from happening, as ever. As if I need to remind you, the Government is the plaything of the Assembly, so to speak. If the Assembly wishes to prevent this trial from going ahead unless those things happen, then it is open to the Assembly to do that.

MS TUCKER: I have a supplementary question, Mr Speaker. I take it from your answer, Mr Humphries, that you think it is appropriate for the Government to take account of some of the recommendations from an Assembly committee, where it suits you; but you have chosen to ignore the two very important ones regarding privacy and complaints. Does this mean, really, that we need not bother having Assembly committees anymore, because we see such a willingness to ignore what is recommended?

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, that is a nonsense question. If Ms Tucker is saying that governments should always accept every recommendation of committees that comes forward, she is stating a very high level of restriction on the capacity of governments to make views - - -

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