Page 546 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 10 February 2009
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freedom of speech for political parties and community groups and student organisations and if that logic is to extend to all areas of ACT law, then the committee may wish to also examine that matter of leaflets on windscreens. I note that previous Assemblies took a slightly different view to this matter. However, it would appear that there is not support for the bill to proceed at this point.
The Chief Minister has arrived so I might resume my seat. Chief Minister, I have just advised the Assembly that it would appear that there is not support for the bill to proceed at this time and that we are debating a motion that it be referred to the relevant Assembly committee for consideration.
Mr Stanhope: Has a motion been moved?
MR BARR: Yes, a motion has been moved. That would appear to be the best way to proceed at this point so that the bill will have the prospect of passage through the Assembly. I will not delay the matter any further. The Chief Minister who does have carriage of this matter can respond.
MR STANHOPE (Ginninderra—Chief Minister, Minister for Transport, Minister for Territory and Municipal Services, Minister for Business and Economic Development, Minister for Indigenous Affairs and Minister for the Arts and Heritage) (5.52): I do apologise to colleagues. Unfortunately—and it is in the interest of government, I have to say—ministers have to schedule on sitting days meetings with constituents and constituent organisations, otherwise it is simply not physically possible for us to meet with all of those organisations that would wish to meet with us to discuss issues of pressing concern to them. Unfortunately, upon looking at the program this morning, my office took a decision, as did Ms Gallagher’s, that we would perhaps both be free of Assembly duty from 5.30 to 6 and we scheduled a meeting jointly. But I do regret the disruption that has now been caused to this particular item. I regret it but I was just a little uninformed as to what was occurring.
Mr Barr, in his closing remarks, has worded me up to the effect that there is not support within the Liberal Party or the Greens for the matter to proceed today. I regret that. I think this is quite a straightforward and simple matter, designed to address a significant issue within our community.
I was motivated to pursue this particular reform on the basis of a personal observation in December of, I believe, somewhere between 300 and 500 A3 posters having been glued up, pasted with glue—almost impossible to remove—on public property throughout the entire ACT. In my investigation of this particular matter, I essentially drove the entire length of the ACT, from Condor to the Gungahlin shopping centre. I believe that there was a particular poster by a particular commercial organisation promoting a particular commercial event. I believe it is reasonable to assume in excess of 300 A3 posters—
Mr Coe: Were they your rights at work ones?
MR STANHOPE: These were pasted on public property. I have not got a full quote, but for TAMS to remove those hundreds of posters, if we were to remove them, would cost tens of thousands of dollars.
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