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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 09 Hansard (Tuesday, 17 August 2004) . . Page.. 3795 ..

continue with legal professional reform. It is something we have started, we worked on it through SCAG, and there is work yet to be done to reform the profession as we move to a national profession. I have indicated that this government supports a thorough review of the operation of our tribunals, and in the context of a review of our tribunals we should take the opportunity to have a look at our courts as well. So I think work will be done in the next term that will involve scrutiny of the legal profession, the operation of the profession in the ACT and the operations of our tribunals and our courts.

Bill agreed to in principle.

Leave granted to dispense with the detail stage.

Bill agreed to.

Court Procedures (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2004

Debate resumed from 14 May 2004, on motion by Mr Stanhope:

That this bill be agreed to in principle.

MR STEFANIAK (10.02): I reiterate the comments I made in relation to the earlier bill.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

Leave granted to dispense with the detail stage.

Bill agreed to.

Adjournment

Motion (by Mr Stanhope) proposed:

That the Assembly do now adjourn.

Chief Minister—multicultural portfolio

MR PRATT (10.03): I speak in the adjournment debate about the Chief Minister’s misuse of the multicultural portfolio. We have seen the Chief Minister continually use this portfolio as a platform for delving into international issues and making highly inflammatory speeches which at best have offended a sizeable slice of the Australian community and at worse have offended a sizeable part of the Canberran multicultural community. I refer to the Chief Minister’s September 2003 Multicultural Day speech so poisonously delivered in which he attacked this nation. He must be eternally shamed and damned. I refer to the many inflammatory and divisive statements spat out in this place, a place where the Chief Minister is required to be focusing on core ACT business.

Let us talk about one of his pet loves. The Chief Minister loves to tell the Liberals how ashamed we should be about the so-called treatment of David Hicks. As usual, when straying from his core duties into international matters about which he knows nothing, he has given succour and comfort to those who would act against the national interest, even

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