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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 1 Hansard (13 February) . . Page.. 54 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

to addressing both the procedural difficulties identified by the Supreme Court and also its consistency with the protection orders provisions of the Domestic Violence Act 1986. Restraining and protection orders serve similar purposes and are issued using similar procedures. The proposed legislative changes will provide a single consistent procedure for both types of orders, whilst recognising the different purposes served by the two types of orders.

The government will bring forward legislation to streamline the operation of our corrections system. This legislation is needed to provide a sound statutory basis for two new forms of corrective sentence, namely imprisonment here in the ACT and the use of home detention orders for non-violent offenders.

In the area of health the government is also proposing to put forward a range of amendments and new legislation. Mr Speaker, the government intends to introduce a bill to authorise persons to be appointed under a community visitors scheme. The scheme supports initiatives in the Disability Services Strategic Plan 1999, will encompass quality service and advocacy issues, is complementary to the Mental Health Official Visitor and independent of all existing service providers and funding bodies.

The government will bring forward a bill to condense several existing pieces of health professionals legislation into one with complementary revisions to the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1965 which shares common provisions with the health professional acts and in particular is operationally reliant on the health professions boards procedures and elections acts.

Amendments are also proposed to the Drugs of Dependence Act 1989 to facilitate the early destruction of seized cannabis, and the Community and Health Services Complaints Act 1993, to update the commissioner's powers and make minor amendments to the general operation of the act.

Finally, the technical amendments program will continue to tidy up ACT laws and provide an avenue for addressing technical amendments that are required.

Mr Speaker, as mentioned earlier, these are but a few initiatives proposed in the 2001 legislation program. In tabling the 2001 program, the government is once again indicating to members the legislative items it considers are important. I seek the cooperation of members in the timely consideration of these bills. I am pleased to present a legislation program which continues to build on the legislative achievements of this government. I commend the program to the Assembly.

Papers

Mr Humphries presented the following papers:

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