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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 7 Hansard (26 June) . . Page.. 2276 ..

Clause 4

MS TUCKER (9.23): I move:

Page 2, line 30, proposed subparagraph 22(2)(a)(ii), after "education", insert ", crisis".

Mr Speaker, this is a very minor amendment which ties in with Mr Wood's amendments. My office has been working with Mr Wood on the amendments to incorporate the domestic violence project coordinator, and I am very happy to be supporting those amendments. The amendment I have moved is simply to ensure consistency between the proposed functions of the domestic violence project coordinator and the Domestic Violence Prevention Council. I am proposing to insert the word "crisis" before the word "welfare". This function now mirrors proposed new section 26D, paragraph (b)(ii).

Mr Speaker, I have already spoken in detail about the council; but I am very happy to support this Bill today, together with the amendments Mr Wood will be moving. As other members are aware, we have been lobbying the Government for some time to establish the position of domestic violence project coordinator. As members are aware, the Government did have the chance to implement the will of the majority of members in this Assembly by responding positively to the Estimates Committee recommendation. It chose not to, and now it has to face the consequences of that.

The Government not only has ignored the will of the majority of members of the Assembly but also has ignored the will of many people in the community, particularly organisations working in this area. There was a public meeting held on Thursday, 5 June, which was attended by a variety of organisations and individuals. The groups that were represented at this meeting included the Women's Legal Centre, the Migrant Resource Centre, ACTCOSS, the Welfare Rights and Legal Centre, Relationships Australia, the Domestic Violence Crisis Centre, Inanna, the Canberra Rape Crisis Centre, the Toora Wimmins Shelter, the Women's Centre for Health Matters, the Doris Women's Refuge, the YWCA Family Housing Outreach Service and the National Women's Justice Coalition. At that meeting a resolution was passed which reads:

1. That this forum strongly supports the establishment of the ACT Domestic Violence Intervention Project as recommended by the ACT Community Law Reform Committee, and calls on the ACT Government to fully implement the project, and

2. That this forum calls on the Chief Minister, the Attorney-General and all members of the ACT Legislative Assembly to support the urgent establishment of the statutory office of ACT Domestic Violence Project Coordinator.

Yesterday I tabled a Bill to amend the Domestic Violence Act. Improving our civil system is very important and I look forward to a positive response from all members to that piece of legislation. Improvements in the legal framework for protection must be matched by improved responses and coordination in the criminal justice system.

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