Page 5447 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 16 November 2010

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I ask leave to make a statement in relation to the papers.

Leave granted.

MR STANHOPE: Thank you, Madam Assistant Speaker. I present another set of executive contracts. These documents are tabled in accordance with sections 31A and 79 of the Public Sector Management Act, which require the tabling of all chief executive and executive contracts and contract variations. Contracts were previously tabled on 19 October 2010. Today I present five long-term contracts, 14 short-term contracts and 12 contract variations. The details of the contracts will be circulated to members.

Terrorism (Extraordinary Temporary Powers) Act 2006

Paper and statement by minister

MR CORBELL: (Molonglo—Attorney-General, Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Water, Minister for Energy and Minister for Police and Emergency Services): For the information of members, I present the following paper:

Terrorism (Extraordinary Temporary Powers) Act, pursuant to subsection 100(b)—Review of the operation and effectiveness of the Act—

I seek leave to make a statement in relation to the paper.

Leave granted.

MR CORBELL: Thank you, Madam Assistant Speaker. Today I am tabling the government’s review of the Terrorism (Extraordinary Temporary Powers) Act 2006. This review fulfils the government’s statutory requirement to complete a review of the operation and effectiveness of the ACT’s terrorism act, which must be tabled in the Assembly before 19 November 2010.

Before I outline the eight recommendations arising from the review, I will provide members with an overview of the circumstances behind the enactment of the ACT’s terrorism act. In 2008, Australia’s national approach to terrorism was formalised by the intergovernmental agreement on Australia’s national counter-terrorism arrangements. As a result of the agreement, in 2003 the states referred their powers to legislate for terrorism offences to the commonwealth. This resulted in the commonwealth enacting comprehensive national terrorism offences.

In late 2005, following the London terrorist attacks, it was necessary to review Australia’s terrorism laws to assess Australia’s ability to respond to a similar attack. The London attacks highlighted a change in the strategy of terrorist organisations, because the planning and implementation of the attacks was from within the United Kingdom.

Consequently, the Council of Australian Governments counter-terrorism summit agreed that state and territory governments would enact further laws to combat


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