Page 3487 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 17 September 2019
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I would particularly like to thank Jarrah in the minister’s office for clarifying the intentions and the rationale behind these changes in the past 24 hours. The advice I have received is that these changes are designed to provide additional administrative support for the official visitors; to act on the recommendation of the review to relocate the administration of the board from the public trustee and guardian to the Human Rights Commission; and to give the board delegation powers so that it can improve day-to-day support for official visitors.
The specific example given to me is that the bill provides that the Official Visitors Board may authorise an official visitor to fill in for another official visitor. Having the delegation in place means that the executive officer could quickly authorise the other official visitor to visit the place without the need for the board to consider the request.
As I am sure the minister can appreciate, we do not want to see a situation where the role and functions of the board are being changed in an undermining way, but I am willing to accept the advice and the rationale from the minister’s office and can see how these changes are designed to improve the official visitor scheme.
With that and other changes that we have looked at, the Canberra Liberals will therefore support the bill.
MS STEPHEN-SMITH (Kurrajong—Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, Minister for Children, Youth and Families, Minister for Health and Minister for Urban Renewal) (3.54): I rise to speak in support of the Official Visitor Amendment Bill 2019. The bill amends the Official Visitor Act 2012 and related operational acts to give effect to recommendations from a 2017 review of the ACT official visitor scheme. These amendments will strengthen and support the vital role undertaken by our official visitors.
As members would be aware, official visitors are independent statutory office holders appointed for their skills, expertise and experience. The role of official visitors is to visit, talk with, receive and consider complaints from and exercise other functions in relation to persons considered to be entitled persons. The official visitor scheme is part of a suite of important oversight and quality assurance mechanisms designed to provide rigorous scrutiny of and support to services, with the goal of ensuring the best possible outcomes for some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.
Official visitors visit Bimberi and residential out of home care facilities for children and young people; the Alexander Maconochie Centre; mental health facilities; accommodation for people with disability; and accommodation for homeless people. There is a requirement for some official visitors to be Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, to better meet the needs of First Nations people, who are overrepresented in many visitable places.
Over the past three years, I have met regularly with official visitors for children and young people and disability services, and have greatly appreciated both their insights and their candour.
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