Wednesday 24 May 2017
Hansard of the Legislative Council

POLICE POWERS AND RELATED LEGISLATION (EVASION) BILL 2017 (No. 20)
Second Reading

 

Mr FINCH  - Mr President, I am pretty much in the same boat.  I have always been a supporter of that requirement.  If a member asks for some extra information or a briefing, as in this case, I am always likely to support that.  You do not do that flippantly.  You do that because you feel it is necessary and that you would like to explore that circumstance a little more.  Who do we go to to get advice, to get an alternative opinion or to get a background on the circumstances?  I hear what the members for Huon and Windermere are saying:  you can call the Law Society to clarify any situation.

I do not see any issue in supporting somebody who feels they would like to have an adjournment to explore the situation more.  I can see that the Government is in agreement with that.  I am impressed with the way our Acting Leader is looking to accommodate our requests, desires and needs; working the schedules, not in a dictatorial fashion, but in a way that includes us and supports what we are trying to achieve.  Thank you, I appreciate what you are trying to do.  In this case, I think it is a signal that the Government is saying, 'We are prepared to support this'.  It is a no-brainer for me.

Mr Hall - Through you, Mr President, I hear what the honourable member is saying.  I sent an email to the Law Society asking for their views and heard nothing.  That happens sometimes too.  Where do you go?

Mr FINCH - They might have been waiting for the adjournment.

Mr Gaffney - While the honourable member is still on his feet, I am quite comfortable with the bill but yesterday I was presented with information from the Law Society that I was not quite certain about.  Before I can vote on this bill and it goes into Committee, I want everyone to have the chance to have it explained.  It is stuff that I did not know.  By the sound of it, everybody has contacted the Law Society for their opinion.  They may have been across that, but I was not.  I thank you for your support.

Mr FINCH - Okay.

Mr Farrell - Through you, Mr President, that gives us time to check out the proposed amendments and how they will fit into the bill.

Mr FINCH - For all of those reasons.