Page 3293 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 22 August 2012
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Standing and temporary orders—suspension
MR CORBELL (Molonglo—Attorney-General, Minister for Police and Emergency Services and Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development) (10.37): I move:
That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent Mr Corbell from presenting the Discrimination Amendment Bill 2012.
The government believes that the Assembly should be given the opportunity to consider amendments to the Discrimination Act that will deal with the concerns that have been raised by the Human Rights Commission in relation to provisions around religious vilification and hatred.
Regrettably, in our community we are seeing instances of material and comments being circulated and made which seek to denigrate, vilify or potentially incite hatred against certain religious groups in our community. In a community which is committed to tolerance and to the acceptance of all peaceful religious faiths I think it is incumbent on this Assembly to allow the government to introduce this bill and then for the Assembly to consider whether or not the proposals are worthy of passage into law. I ask members to agree to suspend standing orders to allow this bill to be introduced.
MRS DUNNE (Ginninderra) (10.39): The Canberra Liberals do not support the suspension of standing orders and do not support the granting of leave for the introduction and presentation of this bill at this time. There has been no evidence presented by the government as to why this needs to be rushed through.
I have had a briefing on the draft bill that was circulated last week from the government and I have received nothing in that briefing that would indicate to me that there is a matter of urgency. There was, in fact, a process that was being undertaken by the LRAC to look into this issue and that has been taken out of the hands of the Law Reform Advisory Committee and, in a hurried manner, put together. There are considerable concerns about this proposed legislation and the implications it would have. There has been no sound reason presented to me, on behalf of the opposition, as to why this should be done by leave with a view to debating it this week.
I think that this is a matter that has caused considerable concern in many jurisdictions across the country and across the world. That we are being asked to accept this and deal with it at the eleventh hour of this Assembly in a rushed way is entirely inappropriate. Such important matters should be given appropriate consideration, not because Simon Corbell got a sudden rush of blood to the head about 10 days ago. That is why the Canberra Liberals are opposing the introduction by leave of this bill at this time and why we are opposing the suspension of standing orders.
MR RATTENBURY (Molonglo) (10.41): The Greens will support the suspension of standing orders. I think that the points Mrs Dunne raises are certainly things we have been giving some thought to. We want to give this bill some thought. We are keen to
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