Page 560 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 9 March 2011
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An additional government amendment is proposed at section 727LA(2) that ensures that a relevant entity, on written request from the committee, must provide information in relation to the child or young person that the committee considers necessary to undertake its functions. The relevant entities, as stated at section 727LA(5), are required to provide information that is within their knowledge as part of their functions, therefore limiting the scope required for compliance. These amendments ensure that information is gathered and obtained by the committee during the three-year reporting period, enabling analysis and reporting of it at its conclusion.
In addition, the government proposes an amendment at section 727LB enabling the committee to enter into agreements with entities in other states, who exercise a function under the law of a state that corresponds to the function of the committee, for the purpose of information sharing relevant to the function. Government considers that there exists the need for the committee to enter into agreements with agencies interstate to ensure information is provided to the committee. This will enable establishment of agreements of information about children from the ACT who may have died while interstate.
MS HUNTER (Ginninderra—Parliamentary Convenor, ACT Greens) (10.46): This amendment is about obtaining information from certain entities and exchanging information with corresponding interstate entities. The Greens agree to this amendment. This provision requires certain defined entities to provide information on the death of a child or young person within three months of the death or as soon as practicable and that these entities may also be compelled to provided information to the committee that it believes is required to undertake its functions. This will improve the functioning of the committee and assist in the timely assessment and reporting on deaths.
We also agree with the amendment that allows the committee to exchange information with interstate entities who are carrying out similar functions. As I said earlier, inter-jurisdictional interaction has an essential role in identifying the most effective responses to problems as they arise.
Amendment agreed to.
MS BURCH (Brindabella—Minister for Disability, Housing and Community Services, Minister for Children and Young People, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs and Minister for Women) (10.47): I move amendment No 13 circulated in my name [see schedule 1 at page 684].
This new note indicates that information provided to the committee under section 727M(2), including written information and other things given to the committee, is protected information.
MRS DUNNE (Ginninderra) (10.47): The Canberra Liberals will be supporting this amendment. It was an amendment that was brought about at my suggestion and it makes some clarity in relation to the application of protected information in the context of the child death review committee.
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