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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 12 Hansard (7 December) . . Page.. 3889 ..

MR WOOD (continuing):

are triggered automatically to make it easier to follow a process to reclaim when people are not paying. We want to propose some consideration to cancellation of licences if notices are not paid, not that everybody has a licence, of course, and, as an alternative to penalties, we would like to see some consideration to the expiation of the notice through community service.

There is quite a number of other recommendations. I believe members will find the report interesting. I think we have come up with a sensible report. It's mostly a consensus. Mr Rugendyke has differed in some areas from the report, but I think it is fair to say that in general the report has been agreed, with some exceptions. I thank my colleagues for their good nature and support during the inquiry, and Mr Skinner for his hard work as secretary. I believe this is a successfully produced report.

MR HIRD (5.57): Mr Speaker, I, as deputy chair, concur with the chairman's outline of the report. I urge members to particularly take note of recommendation 11 which spells out a series of procedures which will require examination and amendments. I urge the minister to take the suggestions in recommendation 11 into consideration when looking at the report and to give us an answer. There are 12 recommendations in all following the detailed examination undertaken by the committee.

Mr Rugendyke argued his position soundly from personal experience with the traumas that drugs, even cannabis, can cause, particularly to the young and the not so young in our community. I respect his position, Mr Speaker, just as I respect the position put by many people who put submissions to the inquiry, and those who appeared before it.

I also recognise, Mr Speaker, that the figures demonstrate that 72.6 per cent of Canberrans believe that criminal sanctions should not apply to cannabis. Whilst I would personally do all I can to discourage our young people and other members of the community from becoming involved with this drug, or any illicit drug, I am prepared to give my full support to this report.

I would also like to join my chairman and my colleague Mr Rugendyke in thanking the witnesses who appeared before the inquiry, not only in the territory but also in South Australia and Western Australia, and the departmental officers made available by the minister, Mr Moore. Their assistance was invaluable. They provided briefings and information, particularly to our secretary, Mr David Skinner, in order to put this in - depth report together. I commend the report to the house, together with the dissenting report of Mr Rugendyke.

Debate interrupted.

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