Page 844 - Week 03 - Thursday, 10 March 2005
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embed restorative practice. The purpose of the working party is to develop guidelines regarding procedures, practices and ethics to support the development of best practice and to coordinate professional development for school staff. Restorative practice is in keeping with Department of Education and Training guidelines and strategies such as protocols for students, student management and the multidisciplinary team approach in supporting students.
Restorative practice uses a range of strategies including: informal conferencing and circling—used with indigenous communities particularly and for group conflict resolution; formal conferencing, for more serious issues; and, importantly, peer mediation programs. Restorative justice principles have proved to have long-lasting impacts where they have been applied, because they are proactive and not reactive.
As I said, the results of the application of this process elsewhere have so far been pleasing and encouraging. There appear to be many possible applications for these principles, as demonstrated in the Thames Valley Police Service in the United Kingdom, where I was fortunate enough to visit and examine the process. I look forward to a very fruitful and useful inquiry.
Legal Affairs—Standing Committee
Statement by chair
MR STEFANIAK (Ginninderra): Mr Speaker, I seek leave to make a statement regarding a new inquiry.
Leave granted.
MR STEFANIAK: The Standing Committee on Legal Affairs has resolved to conduct an inquiry into and report on sentencing in the criminal jurisdiction of the ACT with the following terms of reference: sentencing options in the criminal jurisdiction in the ACT and sentencing outcomes in that jurisdiction in the ACT.
Statement by chair
MR STEFANIAK (Ginninderra): I seek leave to make a statement regarding a new inquiry.
Leave granted.
MR STEFANIAK: The Standing Committee on Legal Affairs has resolved to conduct an inquiry into and report on police powers of crowd control with the following terms of reference: current police powers under legislation; whether there have been instances of misuse of current powers; and the existence and/or desirability of special power for the purpose of particular events.
We look forward to both of these inquiries and to community input and input from the relevant departments. We look forward to reporting to the Assembly accordingly.
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