Page 1102 - Week 04 - Thursday, 21 May 2020
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Key to this review will be ensuring detailed and timely stakeholder consultation so that any government and non-government agencies interested in these reforms can meaningfully contribute to any future proposals. The amendments circulated by Mrs Jones are thoughtful. The government will support all of these amendments except for one.
Mrs Jones and the government could not agree on the change to the maximum penalty applicable to the assault provision in the bill. The advice the government has received is that amending this penalty provision will impact human rights. The territory has an obligation under the Human Rights Act 2004 to ensure that laws and policies do not have a discriminatory impact on particular groups with protected attributes, including where a proposal may have unintended disproportionate or negative impacts on particular groups.
In addition to Mrs Jones’s amendments, I will be moving two amendments at the detail stage. The first will be to expand the coverage of the assault provision to cover all of those that work and volunteer with our Emergency Services Agency, ESA. My second amendment will seek to change the commencement date of the provisions to 14 days after notification of this amendment act, rather than the day after notification. The need for this minor change was raised by stakeholders, following the introduction of the bill. It will allow certain system changes to be put in place to support the implementation of new offences.
Overall, this bill ensures that protections for police and other frontline workers are more in line with community expectations. I commend this bill to the Assembly.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Bill agreed to in principle.
Detail stage
Clause 1.
MADAM ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Ms Cody): Members, as clause 1 and the proposed amendment relate to the name of the act and the amendment is contingent on other amendments being agreed to, if there is no objection I propose that consideration of clause 1 be postponed until immediately before consideration of the title. That being the case, the question is that clause 2 be agreed to.
Clause 2.
MR GENTLEMAN (Brindabella—Manager of Government Business, Minister for Advanced Technology and Space Industries, Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Minister for Planning and Land Management, Minister for Police and Emergency Services and Minister for Urban Renewal) (3.57): I seek leave to move amendments to this bill that have not been considered or reported on by the scrutiny committee.
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