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Alan Carpenter is continuing the reform agenda.

FOLLOWING THE unexpected resignation of the former Premier, Dr Geoff Gallop, I was honoured to be elected by my parliamentary colleagues to be the twenty-eighth Premier of Western Australia and was sworn in on 25 January.

I want to highlight some of the key elements of the government’s legislative program for the year ahead, with a particular focus on community safety, the environment, and the continuation of the government’s reform agenda.

Community safety
Community safety remains a priority for our government. As part of the government’s commitment to combat sex offenders and paedophiles, in this parliamentary session we will be giving priority to the passage of the Dangerous Sexual Offenders Bill and the Criminal Code Amendment (Cyber Predators) Bill.

The Dangerous Sexual Offenders Bill will enable the Attorney General or the Director of Public Prosecutions to apply to the Supreme Court for an order requiring that a prisoner who is a serious sex offender remain in custody beyond his sentence time, or be subject to strict supervision conditions if he continues to present a real risk of re-offending upon release.

The Criminal Code Amendment (Cyber Predators) Bill addresses the use of electronic communication, particularly the internet, by offenders who seek to sexually exploit children. Under the bill, paedophiles who expose children to indecent material or attempt to groom children for sexual activity will face prison terms of up to 10 years.

The government’s anti-hoon laws came into operation in September 2004. They are aimed at targeting the reckless and selfish behaviour of drivers who threaten other road users through their disregard for road rules and safety. Since that time, the WA Police have impounded more than 570 vehicles.

In line with our election commitments, we will introduce amendments in this parliamentary session to strengthen these anti-hoon laws. These amendments will include tough new impoundment penalties for excessive speed and road rage, and will allow independent witness statements and photographic or video evidence to be used in the police investigations and in court.

The environment
I am determined to ensure that the environment remains integral to the decision-making and future prosperity of this state. I therefore will be backing up our commitment with a comprehensive legislative program over the coming years.

The Swan River is among Western Australia’s great icons. A priority for my government is to restore the health of the river so that our children will be able to enjoy its beauty and its features, as many of us did when we were young. Among the priorities for the government in this session of Parliament will be to progress the Swan and Canning Rivers Management Bill, which was introduced last November. The aim of this bill is to create the Swan River Park and to further protect these two icon rivers for future generations.

In order to ensure that another of the state’s icons is protected, drafting is underway on the Rottnest Island Amendment Bill. This bill will ensure greater recognition of the high conservation value of the natural area by creating a conservation reserve.

Western Australia’s biodiversity is unparalleled in Australia. The south west of our state is one of only 34 internationally recognised biodiversity hot spots. Our current wildlife conservation laws are more than 50 years old. We cannot maintain this richness of biodiversity with legislation essentially based on managing kangaroos or picking wildflowers.

This year, the government will progress the development of new legislation which will set the framework for biodiversity conservation that meets the needs of the twenty-first century and beyond. This will be one of the Labor government’s great legacies for our children. I want our government to maintain its active reform agenda, to make sure we are directing our energies – and those of our government departments – into making things happen in this state.

Public health
As a central part of the government’s public health policies, the government will continue to progress the Tobacco Products Control Bill 2005. This bill is a fundamental step forward in tobacco reform, demonstrating this government’s ongoing commitment to reducing the health hazards posed by smoking. The bill is aimed at reducing the availability of tobacco products to minors and reducing the influences of tobacco promotion generally, thereby enhancing health protection for our children and the general community.

The government intends to introduce advance health care planning legislation into Parliament in early 2006. The government believes that terminally ill people deserve the right to die with dignity and have their wishes about medical treatment respected. To provide for this, reform is necessary to give people certainty when dealing with end of life issues; to enable terminally ill people to govern their own medical treatment and to protect those medical professionals who adhere to their wishes.

The government will be introducing an information privacy bill into parliament, in line with its election commitment. The government recognises the fundamental principle that an individual’s privacy should be protected. This bill will require compliance with a set of privacy principles, which address the circumstances in which personal information about individuals may be collected, used, disclosed, accessed and stored.

A major reform over the coming year will be the introduction of a new mental health act that will advance the rights of people with mental illness, while further supporting the responsibilities of mental health clinicians to provide quality care.

Liquor licensing
Finally, liquor licensing is another area the state government will reform to ensure we have modern legislation that reflects the lifestyle of modern Western Australians. The government expects to introduce legislation to amend the state’s liquor laws this year.

An independent review, which presented a broad case for change in the way people buy and consume liquor in Western Australia, was released for public comment in July last year and an extensive process of community and industry consultation has been under way since then.

While the government is yet to finalise its position on the recommendations of that review and the responses gathered during the community consultation process, it has become increasingly evident that our liquor licensing system is falling behind the times and does not reflect our changing lifestyle. The government’s priority will be to ensure that while new liquor licensing legislation will assist in stimulating the hospitality, entertainment and tourism industries, the reform package will be balanced with measures to protect the health and safety of consumers and the public generally.

The above are just some of the legislative priorities our government will be pursuing in 2006. However, as can clearly be seen, the government has a comprehensive agenda for change throughout its term.

I am privileged and honoured to be Premier and part of a government that is making things happen to help the ordinary and the extraordinary people of this state fulfill their ambitions and create better lives for themselves and their families and to help shape a more exciting future for Western Australia.

NOTE: This is an edited excerpt of the full speech, which is available at www.premier.wa.gov.au