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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 02 Hansard (Tuesday, 2 March 2004) . . Page.. 457 ..

concerns will be pushed aside. An incredible amount of time and energy has been spent by this government on pursuing this bill of rights. Not only has this been a waste of time, energy and cost which should have been spent on community core issues, defending the rights of citizens, this government has demonstrated its failure to defend the rights of our community right across the spectrum. This government has demonstrated little interest in acting responsibly to defend the rights of the general community but instead is fiddling around with this rubbish left-wing stuff purportedly to defend the rights of their minor lobby interest groups who already have a plethora of rights to defend their own interests and their own causes.

Let’s have a quick look at the litany of rights that have or are being neglected simply through a failure of good governance. I talk about the rights of the citizens of Macarthur and Fadden to be consulted over the plans to develop Karralika. There’s a good example of rights being trampled. What about the rights of the residents of Conder and the southern district to be serviced by a general practitioner? This government has fluffed around for two and a half years on this issue. Where is its drive, where is its energy to enshrine the rights to have a basic GP service? A bill of rights, that’s where the energy has gone.

What about the rights of emergency services personnel to be adequately equipped? Recently we saw the Canberra community fire unit on stand to on a day of high bushfire danger. Yet they were not personally equipped. What about the rights of these people to be personally equipped to be able to fight? What about the rights of all emergency services personnel across the spectrum to be adequately equipped with good communications equipment? This government has failed over two and a half years to get to grips with an outstanding issue such as that. What about the rights of ACT citizens to be protected against bushfire and adequately warned of impending danger? Questions are now swirling around this government about its failure perhaps to exercise its responsibility to protect the rights of the citizens of Duffy and Chapman. This is an issue we have yet to see develop.

What about the rights of the unborn child? No, this government will enshrine in this bill of rights that life will only commence after birth. What about the rights of the unborn? We don’t see any action by the government to enshrine the rights of the unborn. What about the rights of students to be able to choose the schools of their choice? This government is tightening the vice on a system which guarantees the freedom and the rights of families to choose schooling by impeding funding arrangements which would allow diversity and choice to be enshrined in the ACT education system. What about the rights of Tuggeranong College students, who are seeing their rights not to pay for parking when they go to school—consistent with the rights of all ACT students—trampled?

What about the rights of victims? At 5.8 per cent we have the second-highest rate of assault victimisation in the country. We have the highest increase in this country of motor vehicle theft, which has increased by 40 per cent over four years. Personal victim crime rates are the second-highest in the country. A recent murder case resulted from a very straightforward and vicious intent by an assailant who should not have been free on the streets. This case raises alarming questions about the assailant’s history of violence. The assailant’s rights were well looked after. Perhaps a bill of rights could further extend provisions of freedom to this assailant and other like-minded criminals. What about the

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