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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 12 Hansard (18 November) . . Page.. 4244 ..

MRS DUNNE (continuing):

instrument to pass in its present form. We should amend it. Then, when everything is sorted out, I will come back here and I will gladly change this disallowable instrument to what the minister currently wants.

But, in the meantime, we must as an Assembly safeguard the lives of the people that we are dealing with. In the past several weeks while discussing this, I have had people on the verge of asthma attacks. I have had grown men in tears in my office and on the phone because they see no way through and they are not satisfied with the commitments made over the last couple of days by the government. These commitments have been made in black and white before, and they have been essentially not worth the paper they were written on. I have copies of documents that say, "You are entitled to renew your lease on these terms"and it does not happen. I am not satisfied with the commitments made by this minister, I am not satisfied with the commitments acquiesced to by Ms Tucker, and I put it on the record that, if within a very short period of time-by the end of this year-these people have not been dealt with and there is not a compensation package, I will be bringing this matter here and I will be holding the minister responsible.

Question put:

That Mrs Dunne's motion be agreed to.

The Assembly voted-

Ayes 8

Noes 9

Mrs Burke

Mr Pratt

Mr Berry

Mr Quinlan

Mr Cornwell

Mr Smyth

Mr Corbell

Mr Stanhope

Mrs Cross

Mr Stefaniak

Ms Gallagher

Ms Tucker

Ms Dundas

Mr Hargreaves

Mr Wood

Mrs Dunne

Ms MacDonald

Question so resolved in the negative.

Human Rights Bill 2003

Mr Stanhope , by leave, presented the bill and its explanatory statement.

Title read by clerk.

MR STANHOPE (Chief Minister, Attorney-General, Minister for Environment and Minister for Community Affairs) (5.42): I move:

That this bill be agreed to in principle.

Mr Speaker, today is an historic day for the chamber, because today I fulfil my commitment to present to this Assembly a bill for a Human Rights Act that gives recognition to the fundamental rights and freedoms of the people of the ACT. There should be no mistake: this is a significant step forward for the whole community, whether you are a person living with a disability, a man or a woman, straight or gay, rich

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