Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 7 Hansard (20 June) . . Page.. 2271 ..

The Assembly voted-


		 Ayes 8  			Noes 7

 Mrs Burke  	Mr Rugendyke  		Mr Berry  	Mr Stanhope
 Mr Cornwell  	Mr Smyth  		Mr Corbell  	Ms Tucker
 Mr Hird  	Mr Stefaniak  		Mr Hargreaves
 Mr Humphries    			Mr Kaine
 Mr Osborne    				Mr Quinlan
Question so resolved in the affirmative.

Amendment agreed to.

MR SPEAKER: Mr Berry, do you wish to move your amendment?

Mr Berry: No.

Motion, as amended, agreed to.

Education Amendment Bill 2001

Debate resumed from 28 March 2001, on motion by Mr Berry:

That this bill be agreed to in principle.

MR STEFANIAK (Minister for Education and Attorney-General) (11.21): Mr Berry's bill seeks to create new offences relating to school premises; basically, that people shall not, without reasonable excuse, trespass or behave in an offensive or disorderly way on school premises or fail to leave the school premises when directed to do so by a police officer or an authorised person. He defines authorised person as the principal or whoever is responsible for the conduct of the school, or a person authorised by the principal to give the directions mentioned in the bill. He defines school basically as any school within the territory, be it a government school or a non-government school.

Mr Speaker, I am happy to say that the government supports this amendment to the Education Act by Mr Berry. This provision, or something virtually the same, is in the government's education bill which is before the Assembly. Given that that bill will not be brought forward for debate until August and this bill will come into force a lot quicker than that, we have no problems at all in supporting this. I do not often say this about Mr Berry's propositions, but this in my view is quite good legislation. I might also commend him because I think this is the first piece of law and order legislation he has introduced in 12 years.

This bill extends some of the provisions schools already have. They already have a provision whereby principals can direct people to move on. This bill goes further and is, as I said, virtually in line with what we have in the Education Act, and that went through about two years of extensive consultation.

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .