Page 2428 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 18 August 1993
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MR HUMPHRIES: Madam Speaker, with those kinds of interjections we display great mistrust of the motives and experience of the police of this Territory, and I think that that is extremely unfortunate.
Mr Wood: And you display distrust of young people.
MR HUMPHRIES: The fact of life, Mr Wood, is that unfortunately young people are dominant in the category of people who commit these sorts of crimes. It does not mean that all young people commit these crimes, but certainly young people constitute a very large proportion of those who do commit the crimes. If you do not think that the police have the capacity, the wherewithal, to exercise those sorts of powers with the kind of intuition which clearly avoids criminal situations arising, I think it is a most unfortunate reflection on this Government's attitude towards the police of this Territory.
Madam Speaker, let me conclude by asking the question: Notwithstanding our concerns about the principle of this matter and notwithstanding our concerns about the potential for a bad police force or a bad policeman or policewoman to abuse this power, has the police force of this Territory been trustworthy on this issue or has it not? Has it kept faith with the wishes of this Assembly on this question? If we have no evidence to the contrary, we must say that the answer to that question is yes. If that is so, the police deserve to be allowed to retain these successful, effective powers which we have conferred upon them. I commend the Bill to the Assembly.
Debate (on motion by Mr Connolly) adjourned.
TITLE OF COMMITTEE PRESIDING MEMBERS AND
DEPUTY PRE
SIDING MEMBERS
MR HUMPHRIES (10.52): Madam Speaker, the amendment to the standing orders which I put on the notice paper deals with the title of the presiding member and deputy presiding member of committees of the Assembly. At this early stage I seek leave to amend my notice by inserting at the beginning of the proposed new standing order a heading.
Leave granted.
MR HUMPHRIES: I thank members. The heading I propose is "Title of Presiding Member and Deputy Presiding Member". I move:
That the following new standing order be inserted in the standing orders:
Title of Presiding Member and Deputy Presiding Member
225A. Each Committee may determine the title of its Presiding Member and Deputy Presiding Member.
Madam Speaker, the Assembly committees have operated now for some time on the basis that they have had a reasonable degree of independence in their operation. They have been able to exercise considerable authority; they have been able to conduct inquiries and so on; but there has been on occasions,
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