Page 2211 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 9 May 2012
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have a fulsome debate on these sorts of matters, enable us to draw conclusions from an evidence base and know what some of the data is. It is of great concern to me that, through the justice system generally, this sort of information is not available.
In the context of Mrs Dunne’s motion, the question the Greens discussed this morning as we thought about this motion was: do we pass a motion in the knowledge that data asked for is not available? Would that be a sensible motion to pass or are we simply creating a situation where, come 5 June, the government will not be in a position to provide the information? That would not necessarily be a useful outcome. So I think the amendments the minister is proposing offer a more useful way through, and we will be supporting Mr Corbell’s amendments. I will, however, be adding a further amendment, and I move that amendment now:
Omit paragraph (2), substitute:
“(2) calls on the Attorney General to advise the Assembly by 5 June 2012 on:
(a) how the government monitors and enforces instances of non compliance with bail conditions; and
(b) what projects are currently underway to improve the data recording and publishing ability of the ACT justice system, the current status of each project, the expected outcomes of each project and the expected time frame for completion of each project.”.
This amendment seeks to highlight the fact that there is a serious lack of data available for the justice system in the ACT currently and that that is a problem for all members of this place because it makes it more difficult for us to canvass some of these very important topics. This is something the government can and should address. We know there are moves to improve the situation with respect to sentencing data, and what I am seeking to do in adding to Mrs Dunne’s motion is to have the government also provide us with an update on how the work is going on improving access to data out of the justice system. We understand there are also moves to improve the situation with respect to bail data, and an update on this would be a good idea as well, and that is certainly the intent of my amendment.
In conclusion I welcome the fact that Mrs Dunne brought this motion forward today. It is useful to reflect on these matters. The reframing of the motion in the proposed amendments carries forward the same point but I think provides us with something that can be practically delivered in the Assembly. I do not believe the data is available, so passing it in its original form will not assist the Assembly. Mr Corbell’s amendments offer us a way forward that can enable the Assembly to get an update. If, at that point, we are not satisfied, then I think it is also open for further debate. In the way Mrs Dunne talked about the issue today, it struck me that she has a sense that we want to reform some of the bail processes. That is something we can then take up another day after Mr Corbell has provided the updates that the various amendments seek to draw out.
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