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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 8 Hansard (19 August) . . Page.. 2780 ..

Removal of person from the public gallery

Statement by Speaker

MR SPEAKER: Members, you may recall that during question time I issued instructions for a person to be removed from the precincts of the legislature. This is pursuant to my powers under section 9 of the Legislative Assembly Precincts Act, which empower me to direct a person to leave the Assembly or not to enter the Assembly precincts.

Subsection (2) of that section states:

The Speaker may arrange for the removal or exclusion from the Assembly precincts of a person given a direction under subsection (1) using any necessary and reasonable force and assistance.

It is a serious matter, I think, to exclude people from the Assembly and I do not do this lightly. In due course I will consider how access can be restored to this member of the community. However, I will not be allowing access to this Assembly by people who are going to disrupt the proceedings of the Assembly.

Mr Cornwell: Mr Speaker, may I ask whether you will be advising the Assembly of your decision, sir?

MR SPEAKER: It won't be a secret, Mr Cornwell.

Inquiry into the Operational Response to the January 2003 Bushfires

Report and government response

MR STANHOPE (Chief Minister, Attorney-General, Minister for Environment and Minister for Community Affairs) (3.30): Mr Speaker, for the information of members, I present:

Operational Response to the January 2003 Bushfires in the ACT-Report of Inquiry-dated 1 August 2003.

Operational Response to the January 2003 Bushfires in the ACT-Report of Inquiry-Government Response, dated August 2003.

I move:

That the Assembly takes note of the government response.

Mr Speaker, this afternoon I table the report Inquiry into the Operational Response to the January 2003 Bushfires in the ACT, prepared by Mr Ron McLeod AM, and the government's response to that report.

On 18 January this year, the ACT experienced the worst natural disaster in its history. Bushfires swept through the territory and tragically caused the deaths of four people and injuries to many others, in some cases very serious injuries. It also inflicted a very

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