Page 4231 - Week 13 - Thursday, 27 November 2014

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MR WALL (Brindabella) (4.39): I move:

That the Crimes (Sentencing) Amendment Bill 2014 be referred to the Standing Committee on Justice and Community Safety to be incorporated into their inquiry into Sentencing in the ACT.

As I outlined in my speech previously, I think it is appropriate that this bill is incorporated into the already existing inquiry that the JACS committee is conducting into sentencing in the ACT. This is not the first time that we have seen the government in this term of the Assembly, just in my time here, introduce a bill that is directly relevant to an existing inquiry. I think it is undermining the committee process in the Assembly for this practice to continue. It is appropriate that this bill be sent to the JACS committee and incorporated into their inquiry, given that the inquiry is directly relevant to this bill. I will keep it short and I will leave it there.

MR CORBELL (Molonglo—Attorney-General, Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Minister for the Environment and Minister for Capital Metro) (4.40): The government will not be supporting the motion to refer, for the reasons I outlined in my earlier comments. We are not removing periodic detention without a replacement being put before this place and implemented prior to the conclusion of periodic detention in 2016. It is wrong to characterise that as the rationale for the referral to committee that Mr Wall puts forward. The government will not be supporting the referral.

MR RATTENBURY (Molonglo—Minister for Territory and Municipal Services, Minister for Corrective Services, Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs and Minister for Sport and Recreation) (4.41): I will not be supporting Mr Wall’s motion to move this to committee either. Both the attorney and I have outlined some clear reasons today as to why that is not necessary, and outlined the fact that there is a clear strategy in place moving through this legislation.

I also think that there have been a number of things now where this committee has been brought up, with people saying we should not do something until this committee reports. I do note that this committee started on 7 May 2013. At this stage, my best advice is that it is going to report some time in 2015. That means that it is probably at least a two-year inquiry, if it finishes then. The question is: how long is it necessary to wait for this committee to keep going? I cannot now remember its original length, but it has certainly been extended on at least one occasion. It is not really appropriate to say that we should keep referring things to a committee that does not seem to be able to finish the work it is doing in a timely way. On that basis, I will not be supporting the motion today.

MR WALL (Brindabella) (4.42), in reply: It is disappointing that the government places so little faith in the scrutiny processes and the ability of the committees of the Assembly to look at bills, particularly when a bill is being introduced that is directly relevant to an ongoing inquiry.


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