Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .
Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 4 Hansard (29 March) . . Page.. 1000 ..
MR STANHOPE (continuing):
The proper use of surveillance cameras in such instances is to assist the police in tracking the progress of the law breaker and, when the law breaker is apprehended, providing images that may be shown in court to assist in proving the case. This is the intention embodied in the objects of this Bill, which are:
(a) to protect the privacy of persons whose lawful activity is recorded in the course of surveillance;
(b) to ensure that information collected in the course of surveillance is used only for the following purposes:
(i) to deter or prevent the commission of offences;
(ii) to assist in the prosecution of offences;
(iii) to assist in civil proceedings related to the commission of offences;
(iv) to enforce laws imposing civil penalties;
(v) to protect public revenue -
and purposes related to those that I have just listed.
In accordance with recommendation 3 of "The Electronic Eye" report, there are penalties prescribed for the breach of various provisions of the Bill to enforce the intention that surveillance cameras only be used for the objects of the Bill. Mr Speaker, there has been much debate about whether this legislation is necessary, or whether guidelines would be a sufficient safeguard for the public's privacy. This Bill should, and I hope will, end that debate and give effect to the view of a majority of the Assembly - that the legislation is necessary before any trial of safety cameras in Civic commences.
The legislation is timely. The Attorney-General has indicated the Government's intention to now proceed with its long-promised trial of security cameras in Civic, a promise that has been supported by the Labor Party on the basis of the recommendations in "The Electronic Eye" report.
Mr Humphries: Not all the time. Only more recently.
MR STANHOPE
: The Attorney-General is interjecting, "Not all the time". I think one can easily put the lie to this line that the Attorney-General has consistently run, that it is only lately that the Labor Party has come to endorse this trial. "The Electronic Eye" report was a report of the Standing Committee on Legal Affairs. It was chaired by Mr Paul Osborne. The Labor Party representative on the committee was Rosemary Follett; the Liberal Party representative, I understand, was Trevor Kaine. It was a unanimous report. It had 11 recommendations, all of which were supported by Ms Rosemary Follett, the Labor Party representative on that committee inquiry. The recommendations were unanimous, and supported a trial of surveillance cameras. The Attorney-General has consistently run this line that the Labor Party was opposed to the trial of surveillance cameras, knowing full well that the Labor Party, through Rosemary Follett, played a significant role in that inquiry and was quite prepared to accept every single recommendation that the committee made, including that there be a trial of
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .