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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 01 Hansard (Wednesday, 11 February 2004) . . Page.. 196 ..

other reports, there is a further question that each of us in this place should address. I think it goes back to Mr Stefaniak, as the chair of the—

Mr Smyth: Point of order, Mr Speaker: my question is specifically that the report’s letter of transmittal is addressed to the Attorney-General, so why did he fail to act on this vital issue? He has not talked about his own actions at all. Perhaps you would direct him to do so.

MR SPEAKER: Come to the point of the question.

MR STANHOPE: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am talking of the history of the breakdown in communication in relation to this very serious issue, and the extent to which each of us in this place, to some extent, has been involved in that. Of course, one of the ways in which issues in annual reports are drawn out, and one of the ways in which governments are kept accountable and are made to account for the operations of departments, is through the annual review of annual reports, which is done through an estimates-type process with the formation of select committees.

It is interesting that, in the context of the report of the year before this reporting period—and now, in retrospect, a matter of extreme regret—the then committee, chaired by Mr Stefaniak, chose not to call the Community Advocate and chose not to examine the Community Advocate’s report in that year. When we go to discover why there was this significant breakdown in communication, we go to that range of issues.

MR SPEAKER: Order, Chief Minister!

Mr Smyth: Point of order, Mr Speaker: the Chief Minister had been talking about everyone else but himself. My specific question is about the 2002-03 report, the letter that was sent to him and his failure to act. Perhaps he could get to the substance of the question?

MR SPEAKER: Mr Smyth, this is a serious matter. I think it is appropriate to put the matter in context in question time. These are matters political and I think members are entitled to contextualise, but I would ask the Chief Minister to come to the point of the question.

MR STANHOPE: Thank you, Mr Speaker, I will. I believe the context is particularly important. As has been reported on a number of occasions now, the Community Advocate did report on this issue over three years, including in the 2001-02 period, when the present opposition were in government, when the present shadow Attorney was the Attorney, and when the present shadow Attorney was the Minister for Education and for youth affairs. That was that report.

As the shadow Attorney has interjected, the reports were delivered during the caretaker period. I am not sure that there was an examination of those reports by the committee established by this particular Assembly to inquire into that report, a committee chaired by Mr Stefaniak. In the following year, the report was provided to government. Once again, a committee was established to inquire into that report and, for reasons that we need to look into, the then chair, Mr Stefaniak, chose not to call the Community

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