Page 3507 - Week 11 - Thursday, 24 September 2015

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Detail stage

Bill, by leave, taken as a whole.

MR CORBELL (Molonglo—Deputy Chief Minister, Attorney-General, Minister for Health, Minister for the Environment and Minister for Capital Metro) (12.13), by leave: I move amendments Nos 1 to 17 circulated in my name together [see schedule 1 at page 3551]. I present the supplementary explanatory statement to the government amendments.

This bill, as we have already noted, proposes significant enhancements to our mental health law. All bar six of the proposed amendments are in response to comments on the bill that the Standing Committee on Justice and Community Safety made in its scrutiny report No 34 of 28 July this year.

The six proposed amendments that are not in response to that report are minor and technical. They are amendments 1 and 16, which would essentially provide for a new commencement date of 1 March 2016 for the Mental Health (Treatment and Care) Amendment Act 2014; amendments 13, 14 and 15, which correct words erroneously inserted into the bill; and amendment 17, which would supply a new definition of psychiatrist for the bill’s proposed Mental Health Act 2015. I will not go through each of these amendments in any further detail. They are dealt with quite comprehensively in the supplementary explanatory statement. I commend the amendments to the Assembly.

MRS JONES (Molonglo) (12.15): I thank the minister for the amendments. The Canberra Liberals will be supporting them. They are, as he explained, detailed but fairly straightforward in nature. They are reasonable and in response to predominantly comments of the scrutiny committee. We will support the amendments.

Amendments agreed to.

Bill, as a whole, as amended, agreed to.

Bill, as amended, agreed to.

Victims of Crime (Victims Services Levy) Amendment Bill 2015

Debate resumed from 13 August 2015, on motion by Mr Corbell:

That this bill be agreed to in principle.

MR HANSON (Molonglo—Leader of the Opposition) (12.16): The opposition will be supporting the bill. We support the principle that an adult found guilty of an offence before the courts should make a contribution to support victims of crime. Supporting victims of crime is a fundamental feature of a fair and compassionate society. The United Nations Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power recognises the profound impact crime has on victims and calls on member states to provide assistance to victims of crime.


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