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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 13 Hansard (7 December) . . Page.. 3899 ..

MR SMYTH (continuing):

I present a supplementary explanatory memorandum on the Government's amendments to this Bill.

Under amendment 1 the commencement date changes from 1 December to the commencement date of the Road Transport (General) Act. Amendment 2 allows for regulations concerning the parking of heavy vehicles on residential land. Amendment 3 allows for regulations concerning the power of entry and inspection by police officers or authorised persons.

Amendments agreed to.

Bill, as a whole, as amended, agreed to.

Bill, as amended, agree to.

Bill, by leave, taken as a whole.

MR SMYTH (Minister for Urban Services) (7.48): I move:

I present a supplementary explanatory memorandum. The amendment changes the commencement date from 1 December to the date when the Road Transport (General) Act 1999 commences.

MR STANHOPE (Leader of the Opposition) (7.49): I think this is about the last amendment, the last stroke, in the debate on this suite of legislation. I reiterate the Labor Party's opposition to this range of measures today that have introduced into the ACT system of justice the concept of minimum mandatory sentencing. I think this is a retrograde move. There are serious philosophical issues of principle involved in this legislation. Before the debate passes, I simply want to restate those issues.

I regret quite seriously that in this suite of legislation today we have taken the first step to introducing a system of minimum mandatory sentencing; that we have removed from our magistrates and our courts a range of discretions which they currently exercise. To that extent, we have rendered our magistrates and our judges ciphers. We have taken

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