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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 8 Hansard (28 August) . . Page.. 2589 ..

MR MOORE (continuing):

4. The Speaker, in granting authorisation for the broadcasting of proceedings of the Assembly or one of its committees, should stipulate the following conditions on the use of the broadcast material:

(a) the use by any television or radio station of any part of the recorded proceedings and excerpts in subsequent news, current affairs and documentary programs provided that the reporting is fair and accurate and not for the purpose of satire or ridicule or party political purposes or electioneering;

(b) points of order and remarks that are withdrawn may not be rebroadcast.

The motion is the follow-up to the committee's report, the debate on which we have just completed. This actually formalises the approach taken by the legislation. It deals with the issues that have been raised by Mr Humphries and Mr Berry. It seems to me, Mr Speaker, that if the Assembly adopts these principles today it will be a major step forward for this Assembly because it will be the final step taken to authorise the broadcasting of not only the proceedings of this Assembly but also the proceedings of committees when they are dealing with matters that are approved by the Speaker.

Mr Berry is quite right in drawing attention to the power of the Speaker and chairs of committees and the responsibilities that go with that. There is a significant increase in the number of members who are chairs of one committee or another. Members should be very conscious of the increase in responsibility in dealing with this issue. Of course, that would apply to the deputy chair of a committee when they are acting as chair. I think it is a very important step forward in opening up the Assembly to the public.

MR HUMPHRIES (Attorney-General) (11.21): I just indicate that I support the adoption of these principles. As I said in my earlier remarks, we might care to come back and reconsider them after they have been in operation for some period of time. For the time being, I think it is worth picking up the principles applied elsewhere and seeing how we go with them.

MR BERRY (Leader of the Opposition) (11.22): I have said enough in relation to the matter, but I omitted to say that the Labor Opposition would be supporting these principles.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

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