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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 9 Hansard (22 August) . . Page.. 3217 ..

MR STEFANIAK (Minister for Education and Attorney-General) (6.10): I have talked to Mr Osborne about this. On advice from parliamentary counsel, I move a very simple amendment to Mr Osborne's amendment No 3 [see schedule 4 at page 3228].

My amendment simply deletes the word "includes" and puts in the word "means". Mr Osborne's amendment inserts the following definition:

using electronic means includes using email, Internet chat rooms, SMS messages and real time audio/video.

My amendment would delete the word "includes" and substitute in its place the word "means". If "includes" stays there, other means such as radios and TV products could well be included. That is clearly not intended. My amendment tidies it up.

Mr Stefaniak's amendment to Mr Osborne's amendment agreed to.

Mr Osborne's amendment, as amended, agreed to.

Clause 6, as amended, agreed to.

Title agreed to.

Bill, as amended, agreed to.

Olympic Events Security Amendment Bill 2000

That this bill be agreed to in principle.

MR STEFANIAK (Minister for Education and Attorney-General) (6.13): During the recent Assembly debate on the bill which became the Olympic Events Security Act 2000, the former Attorney-General and other government members made it clear that the powers in the bill were exceptional and that we would not necessarily support the application of those powers to ordinary sporting events conducted in the ACT. That is something the government does not resile from.

The Olympic soccer matches to which the measures in the act were directed presented unusual but not unprecedented security challenges for our police. From time to time the ACT hosts public events which require a greater than usual degree of precaution to ensure public safety and security. These may be events which attract particularly high-spirited or rowdy spectators such as some of those attending the recent Summernats or international cricket matches, where there is a real risk of injury or disruption to spectators or participants. They may be events involving extremely high-profile international figures, such as performances by pop stars, or visits by members of the royal family, who may be at risk from fans or from political extremists seeking publicity for their cause.

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