Page 682 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 5 July 1989
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
select committee that was established by the Assembly, which was on occupational health and safety, proposed by the Deputy Chief Minister, had three members. If it is inconsistent now, why was it not inconsistent then? Let us have some consistency in approach.
The Chief Minister said that she thought this should properly go to the Standing Committee on Social Policy because it is included in its terms of reference. I will read the terms of reference of the Social Policy Committee, which was established by the Government, not by the Opposition. The one that we want established has proper terms of reference, I might mention. The terms of reference of the Social Policy Committee are: to examine and report on matters referred to it by the Assembly concerning community health services, housing, welfare, education and social justice. There is nothing in there about the legal protection of citizens - nothing whatsoever. It is totally inappropriate to suggest that it should go to that committee.
She spoke about the narrowness of the terms of reference, that the committee would be convened to examine only one Bill. Again, the first select committee established - the OH and S Select Committee - was established to consider one Bill. If this is a narrow reference, that was equally as narrow. The Government had no objection and no difficulty with putting it forward on that occasion. It is only because we now put one forward that it suddenly becomes inappropriate.
Mr Berry, I suspect, in his intemperate use of words was doing exactly what he was accusing us of. He said that this was a cheap, vote grabbing issue. The clamour outside the front door yesterday was a cheap, vote grabbing issue because it contributed nothing to the debate.
Mr Whalan: Spontaneous.
MR KAINE: What did you pay for it? Did it cost you a few dollars - the rent-a-crowd? But this is not a cheap, vote grabbing issue to the victims of crime. When the Liberal Party developed its policy it consulted all sorts of community groups on what its policy ought to be. There was nothing cheap or vote grabbing about it. It was intended, and is intended, and is indeed a very serious social policy, to protect the victims of crime. There is nothing cheap and nothing vote grabbing about it, but the approach that the Labor Party is now taking to knock it off is cheap and vote grabbing, if you like.
Mr Berry said that it focuses on the youth and the disadvantaged. It focuses on the victims of crime. If the people who commit the crime are the youth and the disadvantaged, that is another problem at which we should be looking; I agree entirely. But being youthful and disadvantaged does not give you a licence to commit crime; it does not give you a licence to harass elderly and other
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .