Page 1890 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 22 August 2007
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
significantly ease the way for people experiencing difficulties and unhappiness due to the disappearance of a loved one. However, as I have indicated I do have some reservations about aspects of this bill and I do not believe that those reservations are solved by the government’s amendments. While I support this bill in principle, I think it probably requires a little more work because of the issues that I have raised. I do not believe that the government amendments address those issues.
MR STEFANIAK (Ginninderra—Leader of the Opposition) (5.37), in reply: I thank members for their contributions. If there is anything further that needs to be done, I think we can do that down the track. The police responsible for missing persons, in particular Sergeant Fiona Crombie, who was very helpful when my colleague Mr Smyth and I discussed the legislation with her during missing persons week in 2005 were pretty happy with what we put on the table.
I can understand the government amendments. There is a bit of a slant in them towards the Public Trustee, but I appreciate the briefing I had in December in relation to that. I think that what we have on the table will help immensely. It is not a huge number, but in any one year there are 30,000 missing persons in Australia. Ninety per cent of them turn up; some do not. But people have lost houses because parents, loved ones, husbands or wives have not been able to access details of their loved one’s financial affairs. This legislation will overcome that. I commend the bill to members. I thank people for their assistance. I think this will make the lot of a number of people in Canberra a hell of a lot easier.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Bill agreed to in principle.
Detail stage
Bill, by leave, taken as a whole.
MS GALLAGHER (Molonglo—Minister for Health, Minister for Children and Young People, Minister for Disability and Community Services, Minister for Women) (5.39): I seek leave to move amendments Nos 1 to 7 circulated in the Attorney-General’s name.
Leave granted.
MS GALLAGHER: On behalf of the Attorney-General, I move amendments Nos 1 to 7 [see schedule 1 at page 1899]. I have tabled a supplementary explanatory statement to the amendments. I have spoken to all of these amendments in the in-principle stage and do not intend to speak any further on them.
MR STEFANIAK (Ginninderra—Leader of the Opposition) (5.39): Whilst I was initially a little concerned about some of the matters in relation to the public trustee, I will be happy to see these amendments passed. I am very pleased that a couple of them relate to protecting people who will effectively be administering the estate. I think that is very important where it involves family or relatives administering the estate. It gives them protection, which is a very welcome addition.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .