Page 604 - Week 02 - Thursday, 21 February 2019
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse is part of the cross-government effort to ensure comprehensive action to build a safer community.
The government’s response to the committee’s report on the inquiry into the Crimes (Consent) Amendment Bill 2018 demonstrates that we are committed to finding effective solutions to the way we address sexual abuse in the ACT. By working with the community and stakeholders, we aim to ensure the best possible outcome for victims as well as the broader ACT position.
MS LE COUTEUR (Murrumbidgee) (2.54): I thank the government and the Attorney-General for their response to the JACS committee inquiry and for the tabling statement. As I have said before, I agree with the recommendations made by the committee, including that a definition of consent should be based on the concept of free and voluntary agreement, and that affirmative and communicative consent be considered for enactment into ACT law.
I totally agree with what was said in the tabling statement from the government: that now is the time to continue to work on this. I was very pleased to note in the tabling statement that the attorney said that the government would undertake a thorough examination of options for legal reform and would work with me and the groups that participated in the committee process.
The committee process showed that there is an overwhelming appetite for a change in how we define sexual consent. The community knows that something is not right, and we need to be clearer about what we mean in this regard. That was the whole focus of my bill.
I certainly recognise that more legal advice is needed. That is why I am very pleased that the government will be working on this, hopefully with the community groups and me, as was said in the tabling statement, to achieve this. They are quite detailed, complicated legal issues because the presumption of innocence must, of course, be maintained; equally, we cannot do that in a way that means that the rights of victims will never be realised.
I thank the attorney for his statement. In particular, I am very pleased to note the last paragraph in the tabling statement, which was: “I look forward to bringing reforms based upon this important piece of work to the Assembly in this term.” That is great. I look forward to being part of the continuing process that will bring this reform, which I think everyone in the Assembly agrees should happen. We just have to get the mechanism right. I thank the Attorney for his support for this.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Age friendly Canberra—a vision for our city
MR GENTLEMAN (Brindabella—Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Minister for Planning and Land Management, Minister for Police and Emergency Services and Minister assisting the Chief Minister on Advanced Technology and Space Industries) (2.57): Pursuant to standing order 211, I move:
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video