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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 10 Hansard (24 November) . . Page.. 2816 ..

Mr Hird: You would support that, would you not, Jon?

MR STANHOPE: That is a very interesting proposal, Mr Hird.

Mr Hird: Would you support it?

MR STANHOPE: It has some real attractions, Mr Hird. Mr Speaker, as you know, the committee took very seriously suggestions from Mr Hird and others in relation to potential electorate boundaries and the size of electorates. Section 37 of the Electoral Act requires an electoral redistribution as soon as practicable after the third Saturday in February. That date was included in the legislation to reflect the fact that elections for the ACT were held in February. Because the select committee is looking at issues such as electorate sizes and the number of members, it makes good sense to delay the next redistribution. Because the next election of the Assembly will be in October 2001, it also makes good sense to amend section 37 to reflect that fact and to retain a relationship between the election date and the redistribution date.

This is a sensible proposal. It simply delays the next redistribution from next February to next October. The Labor Party is quite happy to support this proposal.

MR HUMPHRIES (Attorney-General, Minister for Justice and Community Safety and Minister Assisting the Treasurer) (4.24), in reply: Mr Stanhope has summed up the arguments in favour of this Bill. I have nothing further to add except my thanks to the Opposition for its support for the Bill.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

Bill agreed to in principle.

Leave granted to dispense with the detail stage.

Bill agreed to.

Debate resumed from 25 June 1998, on motion by Mr Moore:

That the Assembly takes note of the paper.

MR WOOD (4.25): Mr Speaker, in the week that Mr Moore tabled the strategy, one of the big items of news was the proposal by Ansett Airlines to put receptacles for sharps in aeroplane toilets. There was a surprising amount of fuss about that proposal, with some people in the community resisting quite fiercely. That fuss demonstrates the difficulties for administrators, for parliaments, to develop policy towards drugs. The same sort of response was revealed as the heroin trial wound its course.

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