Page 562 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 9 March 2011
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The bill makes provision at section 727N as to who may access the register of deaths of children and young people. The provisions enable committee members, staff and a person authorised by the committee to access the register. The recent amendment to the bill proposed by Ms Hunter proposes to clarify that this would be to exercise the function of the committee. The government supports these provisions and proposes an amendment at section 727N(1)(ba) to clarify that advisers to the committee may also have access to the register if required under their functions.
A further government amendment is proposed at section 727N(3) to ensure those who access the register are informed of appropriate information-sharing requirements under chapter 25 of the Children and Young People Act 2008.
MS HUNTER (Ginninderra—Parliamentary Convenor, ACT Greens) (10.52): We agree with amendment No 15. This is about the children and young people deaths register and who may have access. We agree that the advisers appointed under section 727E(b) should also be able to have access to the information on the deaths register. This is reasonable. It is necessary to fulfil their functions.
On amendment 16, which is again around the children and young people deaths register and who may have access, the Greens agree to this amendment as it allows consistency about how information on the register is treated, using the requirements as defined in chapter 25 of the Children and Young People Act 2008. There is a need to ensure that everyone in the committee understands the seriousness and nature of the information they are collecting for use in the register and how that information must be treated at all times.
Amendments 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) (10.53): I move amendment No 17 circulated in my name [see schedule 1 at page 685].
The bill’s title for this part refers to the provision of annual reports by the committee. Given the government’s three-year reporting period, an amendment to the title will generalise the reporting about deaths of children and young people as proposed, enabling inclusion of the provision of other reports by the committee.
MRS DUNNE (Ginninderra) (10.54): The Canberra Liberals will not be supporting this or the subsequent amendment, as we have not supported the previous amendments that Ms Burch has moved that would have fed into this. The Canberra Liberals are of the view that there should be an annual reporting process. I think that is the majority view in this Assembly and I would suggest that Ms Burch not move the remainder of the amendments that relate to the three-year reporting proposal.
It is a government wish. Ms Burch uses rhetoric like “the government’s three-year reporting schedule”. It is the government’s wish that there is only a three-year reporting process, but it is clearly not the Assembly’s wish that that is the case.
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