Page 4404 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 30 November 1994
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MR CONNOLLY (Attorney-General and Minister for Health) (5.45), in reply: I thank members for their support. This Bill was brought before the Assembly late in the sitting periods essentially because the chair of the Community Law Reform Committee wrote to me saying that the committee had embarked on this fairly large reference on procedure in sexual assault cases which I referred to before. I regard it as one of the most important references before a law reform committee in the country. The chair of the Community Law Reform Committee, Mr Justice Higgins, wrote to me in early September to say that they were making an interim recommendation regarding the use of closed-circuit television, which was that we extend it, as we have done now, for a trial period of 12 months. He also made some recommendations relating to the design of the Magistrates Court. Members will be aware that that is now under construction. The sexual assault subcommittee of the Community Law Reform Committee have involved themselves in the design and layout for that court. This legislation is being taken into consideration as it is being designed.
I am advised that the major discussion paper which contains a lot of this evaluation of what has been going on will be finalised in about March of next year. The normal process then is that there are public meetings and hearings conducted, which means that it probably will be about the end of 1995 that that is brought forward. I certainly look forward, Madam Speaker, to still being in this seat and being able to bring that forward to the Assembly. Certainly, whoever has that privilege, it will be a very major paper.
This is a significant piece of reform. Somebody asked whether we should be looking at everybody using this. Perhaps in due course there may be extensions. At the moment we are very consciously saying that we are aware that for decades it has been a complaint, a criticism that women have of the criminal justice system, that in sexual assault cases they are the one on trial, they are the one being revictimised. This is a measure to make that procedure easier. We think that it is appropriate to take special measures in this case. This has been in place in some other parts of Australia for some time and there seems to be no great difficulty. Indeed, I think the majority of Australian jurisdictions now have this measure. When we first started down this path under Ron Cahill's leadership, with the use of video evidence for children's evidence in the Magistrates Court, we were the first; but other jurisdictions have caught up. I am now pleased that we are in the vanguard in this important area.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Bill agreed to in principle.
Leave granted to dispense with the detail stage.
Bill agreed to.
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