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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 4 Hansard (24 June) . . Page.. 993 ..

Mr Berry: We will censure you.

Mr Humphries: If he wants to move a substantive motion to that effect he should do so; but that is not the case.

MR SPEAKER: Yes, I think that is an option. Have you finished, Mr Stanhope?

MR STANHOPE: Actually, I would have been prepared to let the matter go, Mr Speaker; but the document tabled by the Minister quite explicitly states, clearly states, unequivocally states, against the heading "Street/footpath", that in the ACT there were no recorded offences.

Mr Humphries: And I said that when I made my statement. Go back and read the Hansard, Jon.

MR STANHOPE: I will. I might reserve this matter, Mr Speaker.

MR SPEAKER: Gentlemen, I suggest that it is late. You are not going to get anywhere, I think, at this point. I think it is a matter of looking at the Hansard.

Mr Humphries: Yes, Mr Speaker; but I still require that the word "misleading" be withdrawn.

MR STANHOPE: I will look at the Hansard, Mr Speaker. I believe my understanding of what was said is correct, but until I look at the Hansard I will withdraw the suggestion that he had misled the Assembly.

MR SPEAKER: Right. We can take that up tomorrow.

MR WOOD (11.53): Mr Speaker, it is clear that there is a growing culture amongst many of our younger people to carry knives. That is a highly unsatisfactory development and one that has been discerned by many in our community directly and anecdotally over recent times. Further, the evidence is there in police proceedings in quite a number of circumstances. I have given some thought to this matter over a period and, indeed, in the last Assembly believed that I might try to bring before us some measure that could deal with this problem. However, the fact is that I could not find a means to deal satisfactorily with the issue. Mr Rugendyke's legislation is somewhat welcome. I do not believe it will play a great role in reducing the incidence of knife-carrying or, certainly, in changing the culture I mentioned. We will support it, as Mr Stanhope has said, with some reservations.

I am sure we have all walked through the Canberra Centre nearby and seen at least one shop there - clearly in my mind, one shop - with a range of knives that have no reason at all to be sold. They are not fishing knives; they are not kitchen knives. They seem to be knives that might possibly be used, or conceivably be used, only for an aggressive purpose. It seems to me that a sensible approach might be to ban the sale of those knives.

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