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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 11 Hansard (28 November) . . Page.. 3256 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

This is not a perfect solution to the problem. I guarantee that there will still be broken glass of some form or another on the pavements of the ACT. I have been to those places where on New Year's Eve public order problems are evident, and I can tell you that you can see on those occasions a sea of broken glass. As I said, they are not chardonnay bottles, Bollinger bottles or Dom Perignon bottles; they are beer bottles.

This proposal has been supported by the Australian Hotels Association, whose business it is to sell alcohol. They support the measure, because they can see that there is a problem or public order on the streets of Canberra. If the Australian Hotels Association thinks it is supportable, why do members of the Labor Party in this place not support it?

The Labor Party says that something has to be done about this problem. Indeed, it does. But what has to be done? What is Labor's suggestion about how to deal with this? Should we confiscate beer bottles from drinkers in Civic? Legislation would probably support that at the moment, but that would lead to confrontation with drinkers, perhaps drinkers who are already intoxicated. I would rather have to knock these people back when they were still sober and able to deal with the problem rationally than wait until they were heavily intoxicated before making that decision. That would be a responsible and prudent course of action.

I have circulated the regulation the government proposes to make. It will not apply to Anzac Day, Australia Day or any other public celebration in the ACT. There is one period which is clearly a problem for the territory, and that is the lead-up to New Year's Eve. The regulation I have produced is the regulation I will make if the Assembly passes this legislation-and no other.

I ask members to consider how that would contribute to a factor which has been much in discussion in recent days in this place, and that is public safety. How do we assist public safety in the acts that we take in this place? We contribute to it by helping minimise the extent of injury on the streets of our city on public occasions such as New Year's Eve.

Mr Berry was on the radio this morning talking about how concerned he is about issues of occupational health and safety. Let him put his money where his mouth is and back this legislation to make sure that a genuine attempt is made to minimise the amount of broken glass which is a hazard to people of this city on occasions such as New Year's Eve. I commend the bill to the house.

Bill agreed to in principle.

Leave granted to dispense with the detail stage.

Bill agreed to.

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