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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 4 Hansard (2 April) . . Page.. 1242 ..

MR SPEAKER: Order! Come to the question.

MR PRATT: My supplementary question is: why has the inquiry you established failed to meet the commitments you made in this Assembly and to the community that all submissions would be made public?

MR STANHOPE: It may be that they will be at the end of the day, other than those for which confidentiality has been sought or those that trample the reputations of, or defame, others. I do not know what processes or procedures Mr McLeod will use. Perhaps it will be that when he delivers his report he will attach the submissions to it and I will have a capacity to table the entire report in this place.

I do not know what Mr McLeod is going to do. I have not directed him as to how he will conduct his inquiry. He can speak for himself, as he is doing. He spoke to the media today. He is to speak to the media again today. I have been advised that he proposes to put out a press release today to respond to the mischievous claims made by Mr Smyth-the claims designed to undermine the integrity of the process. I cannot understand why they would not be made public, unless-

Mr Smyth: Did you ask?

MR STANHOPE: I am not going to interfere in his inquiry. My expectation is still the same. It is what I am going to do with the government submission. I will be making all of the government submissions publicly available. I do not know why Mr McLeod has taken the decisions he has in relation to the 70 separate submissions. He can speak for himself, as he is doing.

Mrs Dunne: Mr Speaker, I draw you attention to standing order 42 and ask the Chief Minister to address the chair.

MR SPEAKER: I think the Chief Minister has finished.

Theft-role of illicit drug taking

MRS CROSS: My question is to the Attorney-General, Mr Stanhope. Mr Stanhope, on the front page of the Canberra Times today, an article appeared citing Australian Institute of Criminology research that links 65 per cent of ACT thefts to illicit drug taking. Minister, is the government aware of this research and, if so, what application does it have to present law enforcement activities?

MR STANHOPE: Yes, I am aware of that, Mrs Cross. It may be more appropriate for the Minister for Police to respond to your question, but certainly I am aware of the issue. Certainly, we are all aware of the connection between drugs and property crime in particular. Mr Wood may be able to provide more up-to-date information on the police response to those issues.

MR WOOD: Yes, that information was released through me, as Minister for Police. Your claim is right. It is verified there. What is also concerning is the willingness of people in the ACT to purchase goods that are-with any thought at all-clearly stolen.

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