Page 2953 - Week 07 - Thursday, 30 June 2011

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The Law Society and Legal Aid raised concerns about a subsection which was included to guide the courts in making a determination under the sexual assault counselling immunity. The guide reflected common law principles but was considered to unduly constrain the exercise of the judiciary’s discretion. As removal of the subsection will not affect the protection offered under the immunity, it was removed.

In closing, Mr Speaker, I would like to take the opportunity to thank stakeholders for their consideration of the exposure draft of the bill. My directorate appreciates the efforts made by stakeholders who commented and acknowledges that these comments greatly assisted officers of the government in finalising the bill. I commend this bill to the Assembly.

Debate (on motion by Mrs Dunne) adjourned to the next sitting.

Security Industry Amendment Bill 2011

Mr Corbell, pursuant to notice, presented the bill, its explanatory statement and a Human Rights Act compatibility statement.

Title read by Clerk.

MR CORBELL (Molonglo—Attorney-General, Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development, Minister for Territory and Municipal Services and Minister for Police and Emergency Services) (10.41): I move:

That this bill be agreed to in principle.

I am pleased to introduce to the Assembly today the Security Industry Amendment Bill 2010, which will amend the Security Industry Act 2003. The security industry plays an important role in our community, protecting the safety of the public as well as public and private property. Members of the industry are often employed in positions of trust and work with vulnerable people. With this in mind, the community must be confident that the people who work in the security industry meet certain standards of probity and skill.

To ensure that the expected standards of probity are met, in 2008 the Council of Australian Governments agreed to adopt a nationally consistent approach to the regulation of the private security industry. The aim of these reforms is to improve the probity, competence and skills of the industry and to improve the mobility of licences across jurisdictions. This bill builds on the harmonised licensable activities and training requirements passed by this Assembly on 7 December last year as part of the Justice and Community Safety Legislation Amendment Bill 2010 (No 4). The security industry has been kept abreast of these changes.

In 2009, the Office of Regulatory Services invited security industry associations to a meeting to discuss the COAG reforms. Following an article in the April 2011 e-news, the Office of Regulatory Services wrote to all licensees informing them of the imminent commencement of the new licensable activities and flagging remaining


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