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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 11 Hansard (8 December) . . Page.. 3317 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

The second point I make is that I do not think the lack of a sunset clause in any way prevents review of the operation of the legislation. If Mr Stanhope, in 18 months' time, wants to move, for example, that the Justice and Community Safety Committee review the operation of the legislation, he is perfectly entitled to do so. But they will not be working up against a sunset clause which, as the Assembly knows from experience earlier today, can sometimes be a real problem in terms of managing the date that that particular sunset happens to come into effect.

The third point I make, and the last point I make, is that I think Mr Stanhope regrets the intemperate remarks he made when this legislation was first brought down. He said, "Let's just arrest the offenders rather than have to get protection orders in the first place". He seeks to extricate himself from the difficult position he placed himself in by saying, "Well, we still believe what we believed before, but we will tolerate this for 18 months while a sunset clause is in place and then we can come back and review all these things that we said about the matter". Secretly, of course, he hopes that by that stage everyone will have forgotten the circumstances which led to having to make that sunset clause in the first place. I do not buy that. I do not think it is convenient or fair to the parties out there who have to use these provisions. If he wants to initiate a review of the provision in, say, 18 months' time, he can go for his life. I have no problems with that, but I see no reason to facilitate that at this stage by putting a sunset clause into the legislation.

Amendment negatived.

Bill, as a whole, as amended, agreed to.

Bill, as amended, agreed to.

Motion (by Mr Humphries) proposed:

That the Assembly do now adjourn.

MR OSBORNE (11.02): Mr Speaker, I rise to speak very briefly because it appears I may have inadvertently misled the Assembly on a number of occasions. There have been times when I have referred to Mr Quinlan as ACTEW's Accountant of the Year, Mr Speaker, but he indicated to me that he was actually Australia's Public Service Accountant of the Year. I apologise for the wrong title that I have used in relation to Mr Quinlan. I guarantee to him and to the Assembly that I will use the proper title by which he should be referred to in the future. I do apologise for that slip-up on my part.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

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