Page 1660 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 3 May 2011
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I move:
That the Assembly takes note of the paper.
MRS DUNNE (Ginninderra) (10.05): I note that the attorney has taken 20 months to respond to this report, that this was a significant inquiry and that there was one item that the attorney responded to very expeditiously because it was useful for him to do so. But it is interesting that the government has been quite slack in responding to the rest of these matters.
I think it is interesting that, in relation to the substantial recommendation specifically in relation to the ACT Law Reform Advisory Committee, the government has not agreed with this recommendation. I think that the law reform advisory role that we have seen under the Labor government has declined substantially, and this is a matter of some concern. It is interesting that the government will not take the advice of all parties in this place, because this was a unanimous report representing all parties in this place that the government should raise the status of the law reform advisory processes in the ACT. I think that we are the poorer for it.
We see the poor policy formulation that is coming from the Attorney-General and we think that it is indicative of the fact that he will not take advice from anyone, even his own colleagues in committees, on these matters. I do note that the attorney has agreed in principle with the second recommendation, which is to refer the matter of the uniformity of murder provisions to SCAG. I welcome that. I hope that that will result in some progress.
I also note that the government has not ruled out the possibilities of reviewing the increase in the penalties for manslaughter and generally a review of penalties in the Crimes Act. However, seeing that we have waited 20 months for this response, I think that the people of the ACT will wait a very long time for that review to come about.
I think that the attorney, because he had nothing to say today, is embarrassed by his poor performance in this matter. I think that the paucity and shallowness of the response that really they cannot say no to the very sensible recommendations of the Standing Committee on Justice and Community Safety in relation to reviewing the penalties in the Crimes Act means it is one of these matters that have been put on the never-never, and I do wait with anticipation but not with bated breath for this review to unfold.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Standing and temporary orders—suspension
MR CORBELL (Molonglo—Attorney-General, Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Water, Minister for Energy and Minister for Police and Emergency Services) (10.08): I move:
That so much of the standing and temporary orders be suspended as would prevent:
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