Page 4070 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 16 Sept 2009
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doing with carers, consumers and community services. But the plan on paper shall only be successful if we see positive outcomes on the ground. From here on in, the direction shall be set by the strategic oversight group and the Minister for Health.
The strength of the ACT government’s latest mental health plan is due in part to the Labor-Greens agreement. I was pleased to see that some of the statements made in the ACT Greens mental health discussion paper appear to be echoed in the ACT government’s mental health plan.
In conclusion, I thank the Assembly for the opportunity to table the Greens’ paper. I look forward to working with my fellow MLAs to improve the lives of those affected by mental illness.
Alcohol
Paper and statement by member
MR RATTENBURY (Molonglo): I present the following paper:
Reducing Alcohol Related Violence: A New Framework for the ACT—A paper by the ACT Greens, dated September 2009.
I seek leave to make a brief statement in relation to the paper.
Leave granted.
MR RATTENBURY: I table today an ACT Greens paper entitled Reducing alcohol related violence: a new framework for the ACT. This is a paper that sets out nine proposals for a safer and more vibrant Canberra night-life. We have issued the paper and invited comment from all members of the community up until 20 November this year. We believe that the issue of alcohol-related violence is a real one for people in the ACT and something they are concerned about. What we have set out in the paper are positive steps the ACT could take to spark a cultural change when it comes to the serving and consuming of alcohol. We need to work towards a more responsible drinking culture where our streets are safer for everyone.
The Greens are conscious of the fact that the ACT government has conducted a review of the Liquor Act and believe our paper adds to the ongoing debate about alcohol-related violence. One key proposal contained in the paper is a revision to the existing licensing fee structure. This represents an overhaul of the liquor licensing system that will provide financial incentives for licensees to comply with existing regulations and to ensure good venue practices are adopted. The overhaul will also ensure that the cost of compliance activities undertaken by the Office of Regulatory Services is recovered from licensees.
This proposal is about rewarding good operators in a bid to reduce alcohol-related violence. Each of the proposals contained in the paper has that same aim. They are broad-ranging proposals and they need to be to best address this issue. The proposals cater for encouragement of good licensee behaviour, as well as legislation inhibiting dangerous practices and they extend from within venues to the surrounding space outside.
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