Page 3130 - Week 07 - Thursday, 1 July 2010
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The recommendation is that the Attorney-General immediately read the terms of reference, in consultation with other relevant stakeholders, including but not limited to ACTPLA, the Owners Corporation Network and other ministers as relevant—and the opposition and the crossbench parties. That is not an unreasonable recommendation, given the number of Canberrans that will be affected by this legislation and the outcome of its review. I look forward to the minister answering that recommendation as well.
MR CORBELL (Molonglo—Attorney-General, Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Water, Minister for Energy and Minister for Police and Emergency Services) (4.56): I thank members for their comments in relation to the proposed appropriation for the Department of Justice and Community Safety. There is a range of issues that I will seek to address this evening. The first relates to the pre-emptive critique by the Liberal Party in relation to proposals for a district court. What is particularly interesting about the Liberal Party’s critique is that, of course, they are very happy to sink the boot in on the proposal but they failed to mention two things.
The first is that they offer no solutions themselves. Indeed, they proffer no view whatsoever as to how the delays in the Supreme Court should be addressed. It adds a certain fundamental weakness to their criticisms of the government’s proposal that they themselves have no ideas of their own as to how to address the issue.
What they also failed to mention, of course, is that their spokesperson, Mrs Dunne, is on the record as saying she is not convinced that a fifth judge is the appropriate solution for the delays in the Supreme Court. On the one hand we have the Liberal Party saying what a dastardly, terrible idea the government’s attempt to improve access to justice is when it comes to the establishment of a—
Mrs Dunne: Come on, tell us one person who thinks it is a good idea.
MADAM ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Ms Le Couteur): Excuse me, members—
MR CORBELL: I heard the Liberal Party in absolute silence for over an hour. I have now been on my feet for less than 30 seconds and they just cannot accept that there has to be a response to the critique that they have put of the government’s budget. I ask them to extend the same courtesy that I have extended to them for the past hour and a half, in fact.
MADAM ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Members of the opposition, please hear Mr Corbell in silence. Mr Corbell, you have the floor.
MR CORBELL: That is the fundamental problem with the Liberal Party. They say that the district court will not work but they have no solution of their own, none whatsoever. They have no constructive suggestion whatsoever. Secondly, the shadow attorney-general is on the record as saying that she is not convinced that a fifth judge is the solution. I think that the Liberal Party need to go back and actually do some thinking on this issue rather than simply seek to score some fairly cheap and vacuous political points.
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