Page 976 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 31 March 1993
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Question put:
That this Bill be agreed to in principle.
The Assembly voted -
AYES, 2 NOES, 13
Mr Moore Mr Berry
Ms Szuty Mrs Carnell
Mr Connolly
Mr Cornwell
Mr De Domenico
Ms Ellis
Ms Follett
Mrs Grassby
Mr Humphries
Ms McRae
Mr Stevenson
Mr Westende
Mr Wood
Question so resolved in the negative.
CRIMES (OFFENCES AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT)
(AMENDMENT) BILL 1992
Debate resumed from 18 September 1992, on motion by Mr Moore:
That this Bill be agreed to in principle.
MR CONNOLLY (Attorney-General, Minister for Housing and Community Services and Minister for Urban Services) (12.05): The Government is not supporting this amendment Bill by Mr Moore. Mr Moore's proposal was probably triggered by the widespread publicity surrounding the issue of certain documents that were acquired by a certain metropolitan newspaper and certain consequences that followed. In the high state of agitation in the media following those events, Mr Moore tabled this legislation.
His claim in the introduction speech that the existing law in the ACT was an Act merely "put together by bureaucrats with the intention of looking after themselves and their power structures" is a rhetorical claim which really is hard to justify. The simple fact, Madam Speaker, is that this type of law is found in governments around Australia. The Crimes (Offences Against the Government) Act was enacted by ordinance just before self-government as part of the package of self-government legislation that was seen by the Commonwealth as necessary to provide this Government with appropriate protections for its information and property, just as State governments around Australia have similar protections. I am not aware of any State government, whether it be Labor, Liberal or National, that has taken the view that it is inappropriate to have this type of legislation.
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