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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 02 Hansard (Tuesday, 2 March 2004) . . Page.. 476 ..

MS MacDONALD: I have a supplementary question. Can the Minister advise as to the success or otherwise of the first major promotion under the new branding.

MR QUINLAN: Yes I can. I was in Sydney this morning for a promotion in Martin Place. It was shown on morning television across New South Wales. It was also broadcast in part across FM radio—FM106 in Sydney. Part of the promotion received coverage on page 3 of the Sydney Morning Herald. It has certainly made a significant impact.

I walked up Martin Place and one of the first people I saw was someone who runs horse trekking holidays in the Snowies—one man called Peter Cochrane—a fellow you might know. He extended his hand and said, “Ted, this is the best promotion Canberra’s ever done”. And he has committed to put his support behind it.

It has been embraced, promoted well and received well. I trust that everybody takes a positive attitude. This sort of marketing is like home decorating: everybody becomes an expert at some time or another and opinions always vary. We put together a commercial. The first time I saw it, I thought it was pretty good. The impression that people are feeding back to me is that it is really good, but that maybe we should get rid of the guy with big eyes. It will be developed and used as a positive theme for Canberra.

Child protection

MRS BURKE: My question is to the Minister for Education, Youth and Family Services. Section 418 of the Children and Young People Act requires the minister to review the act after three years. The brief of October 2002 to the then minister Simon Corbell that noted the breach under section 162 (2) also noted that the review had started. You tabled the review in June 2003. Minister, nowhere in the review is there mention of section 162 (2) and the problems the department was having. Why did your review of the act fail to address this issue, given that it was well known as far back as October 2002?

MS GALLAGHER: The report I tabled in the Assembly was a work that had been done between the Department of Justice and Community Safety and the Department of Education, Youth and Family Services into meeting the deadline of, I think, May 2003 for a review of the act. Essentially, the review of the act is not finished. That was a status report of areas that would be investigated further. We have since gone to consultations with the community on the review of the act. They were conducted late last year. It has been delayed somewhat, particularly by the commissioner’s investigations at the moment. I have had a couple of meetings with the commissioner where she has indicated that some of her findings may impact on the Children and Young People Act. So we have delayed putting together legislative change to that act pending the commissioner’s final findings, which are due in April.

Of course, since this issue has emerged, after that report was tabled and the work that the departments of justice and community safety and education did, that area of 162 (2) is being examined. It is obviously still a relevant provision in the act, but how the protocols are met, which is work that is being done now by the department, will be looked at in terms of the review. But I do not anticipate any changes to section 162 (2) of the act. I imagine any legislative change will go around enhancing and protecting the children

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