While sensible people were in Digress watching Mark Kulasingham play with lego across the road in the London Circuit Soviet the fastest law in the west was taking care of business.
Simon Corbell pumped out four media releases last night and we’re lumping them together:
1) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Justice
Mr Corbell tabled the two year Aboriginal Justice Agreement report card in the ACT Legislative Assembly and said it reflected good progress made since the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Justice Agreement was signed in August 2010, but acknowledged there was more work to do.
“This progress report reflects the successful partnership between government and the community to implement the105 action items in the agreement with 89 completed or ongoing, 12 on track and four items to address,” Mr Corbell said.
2) Outlawing theological debate
Attorney General, Simon Corbell, has today introduced legislation into the Legislative Assembly to create laws that would make it unlawful to vilify a person or group on the basis of their religious beliefs or practices.
There’s a reason polite company avoids talking about religion or politics, but criminalising it will do us no favours in the long run. (And the most important religious debates in history would have fallen afoul of this law).
3) Another crack at same-sex civil unions
Same sex couples will now be afforded improved legal recognition of their relationships under legislation passed by the Legislative Assembly today, Attorney General, Simon Corbell said.
“These laws will fully restore a ceremony as a legally binding aspect of a same-sex civil union, and charge celebrants with the responsibility of making a relationship legally recognised, similar to a heterosexual union,” Mr Corbell said.
4) A right to education
The ACT has become the first jurisdiction in Australia to recognise an economic, social or cultural right in a bill of rights, with the successful passing of legislation to recognise the right to education, Attorney General, Simon Corbell, said today.
“This new legislation is the latest step in a proud record held by the ACT Labor Government which was the first State or Territory Government to introduce a Human Rights Act in 2004, and is now the first to formally recognise in legislation a social, economic or cultural right,” Mr Corbell said.
“We recognise that education is a fundamental right for all Canberrans and marks the start of a prosperous life built on strong foundations.
“The ACT Labor Government is committed to ensuring that all children in the ACT have the same opportunity to an education from a young age that will establish learning and behavioural patterns for the rest of their life.”