Page 1040 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 30 March 2011

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other accusations. Mr Cavill has also made the allegation that he was discouraged from going to the commissioner. Other people, other callers, have said that they were discouraged, their supervisors were discouraged and that they believe they are being stood down as a direct result of going to the inquiry.

I put out a call—because I do not think the Attorney-General is going to do this—to present staff of Bimberi and past staff of Bimberi who are afraid or feel that they have been victimised to come to me, come to my office, and I will take those matters up with the commissioner. If the commissioner does not hear from these people, he cannot use his powers under the act. He cannot take action or refer this matter for investigation. There are offence provisions in the act, but if these people are so intimidated that they will not go to him, how will he ever know?

The Canberra Liberals will stand behind anyone who wants to make a clean breast of this and wants to come forward. We will support them in the same way that we have supported Mr Cavill and the other people who have come to us. I made a commitment that if there are issues that they are concerned about, my staff and I will deal with it as sensitively as we have dealt with everything else. Come forward, let us know and we will help you get justice for yourself and for the people you have been charged with caring for.

It is a sorry day, but it will be a strong test for the members of this Assembly when we vote on this. Will we allow this government to continue the corruption of this process or will we have a clean slate? Will people be able to come forward in a way where their jobs will not be put at risk so they will not have to worry where their next mortgage payment is coming from? What happens to those people who have been stood down or asked not to come back to Bimberi on very spurious grounds?

This is a test for ACT Labor. Will they put an end to the culture of cover-up that we have seen in Bimberi? Will they expose everything that has happened, not just at Bimberi but in the department, since the inquiry has been set up to the cleansing effects of daylight through a judicial inquiry? Will Ms Hunter and her Greens colleagues join with us and ensure that there is no cover-up? Will they join with us and ensure that the young people, who we should be most concerned about, will have a prospect of a bright future and that the people who are charged with teaching them and caring for them are not in fear of losing their jobs?

Question put:

That Mrs Dunne’s motion be agreed to.

The Assembly voted—

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