Page 5324 - Week 17 - Thursday, 13 December 1990
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
The Royal Commissions Bill provides for the Executive to establish a royal commission. Power to establish a royal commission is an essential adjunct to effective government. A commission would be set up only where there was a matter of substantial importance affecting the Territory. The terms of the commission would be determined by the Executive. The Bill provides for the same protection for a commissioner as for a judge of the Supreme Court, for a report of a commission to have the protection of a document tabled before the Legislative Assembly, for considerable powers of coercion of a witness, and for substantial penalties for contempt for a commission.
Given that currently the Territory has only the Enquiry Act 1938 - which has not been substantively amended for some 20 years - to support an official inquiry into a matter concerning the Territory, the introduction of these three Bills is a considerable advance in the means available to the government of the Territory to investigate and obtain information necessary to enable well-informed decisions to be made and to ensure that well-founded policy is carried out. I present the explanatory memorandum for the Bill.
Debate (on motion by Mr Connolly) adjourned.
INQUIRIES BILL 1990
MR COLLAERY (Attorney-General) (12.05 am): I move:
That this Bill be agreed to in principle.
The second of the three Bills to provide for official inquiry in the Territory is the Inquiries Bill 1990. The extent of amendment required to bring the Enquiry Act 1938 up to an appropriate standard was such that it is more efficient to repeal that Act and introduce the Inquiries Bill 1990, which incorporates the essential provisions of the current Act and new provisions necessary to provide for the establishment of a general investigatory body of inquiry.
The Inquiries Bill 1990 provides for the Executive to appoint a board of inquiry to hold a general investigative inquiry into a matter specified in the instrument of appointment. It is intended that such an inquiry would be established to investigate a matter of general importance to the Territory which does not require a royal commission. I present the explanatory memorandum for the Bill.
Debate (on motion by Mr Connolly) adjourned.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .