Page 790 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 8 March 2016

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Australian Human Rights Commission model. I note the commentary of Mr Hanson, but I simply say to him that what we have done in reforming the governance of the Human Rights Commission is effectively put in place a model which is highly similar to the very successful Australian Human Rights Commission model, which has operated in Australia now for at least 20 years and which has a presidential member, a series of other commissioners, and a collaborative governance framework but still with the capacity to deal with disputes and to deal with deadlock within the commission to ensure that there is clear direction, process and accountability in the way rights protection functions operate.

Finally, it is worth highlighting that these reforms mean that more dollars are able to be spent on front-line rights protection and less on administrative overheads, less on the costs of simply running multiple small organisations and much more focus being able to be brought to the key and overriding importance of the role of our rights protection agencies in protecting the rights of the most vulnerable in our community. I commend the bill to the Assembly.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

Bill agreed to in principle.

Leave granted to dispense with the detail stage.

Bill agreed to.

Road Transport Legislation Amendment Bill 2016

Debate resumed from 18 February 2016, on motion by Mr Rattenbury:

That this bill be agreed to in principle.

MR HANSON (Molonglo—Leader of the Opposition) (4.20): Madam Deputy Speaker, we will be supporting this bill in principle. But in doing so, let me be clear at the outset that there are some consequential actions that are going to be made within ACT Policing that I do not support. The bill and the explanatory statement state that the aim of the bill is to enhance the ability of the police to prevent drivers or riders from fleeing from police, to apprehend and prosecute drivers or riders who commit this offence. Indeed, it increases the range of offences and the severity of penalties for failing to stop for police. When it comes to the legislation, this is the sort of framework that the Canberra Liberals have been looking at quite closely.

However, I am aware that the Chief Police Officer, should this legislation be passed today, will be implementing guidelines that reduce the ability of the police to undertake pursuits on our streets of criminals who commit offences and particular crimes that essentially may be causing danger on our roads. I do not agree with those changes, and I will speak further to that. I was also, I would have to say, a little surprised to find out that the Australian Federal Police Association had not been consulted on these new pursuit guidelines. I would have thought would have been part of the process.


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