Debates Day 2 - Wednesday 23 November 1994
Parliamentary Record 6
Debates for 7th Assembly 1994 - 1997; ParliamentNT; Parliamentary Record; 7th Assembly 1994 - 1997
1994-11-23
Made available by the Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory
English
Debates
Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory
Darwin
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Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory
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https://hdl.handle.net/10070/281606
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/414128
DEBATES - Wednesday 23 November 1994 does not always work. If a toy is bought for an older child in the household, the parents have a responsibility to ensure that younger children do not gain access to an inappropriate toy or implement to their detriment. Mr Poole: You still have a train set, dont you? Mr FINCH: As a matter o f fact, I do not. Mr Bailey: Didnt Paul give you his? Mr FINCH: No, but the kids had sling-shots. There has been considerable comment about pools and, at this time o f the year, many families spend their time in pools or at swimming spots. O f course, there are programs in place with the aim o f making parents aware o f the dangers associated with them and to try to limit those dangers. Messages and campaigns are run continually in an endeavour to raise public awareness in this regard. Certainly, you wonder about the intellect o f some parents, and I guess that is why some o f the advertising programs are necessary to try to reach the unthinking and sometimes even uncaring, although those 2 conditions do not. necessarily always go together. However, for the unthinking parent, such warnings are of value sometimes to point out to them exactly where the danger may lie. In the Christmas campaign this year, displays will be held in Darwin Mall and at Karama, Northlakes, Hibiscus and Palmerston shopping centres. The December edition of NT Consumer, the magazine issued by the Office o f Consumer Affairs and Fair Trading, will include a 4-page liftout to address many o f the safety issues. The schools have many programs that provide additional protection by educating the children. One is the Territorys unique school-based constable program. There is also the Drug and Alcohol Resistance Education Program (DARE), Stop Think Go and the Protective Behaviours Program. These are run throughout the Territory now. The Department o f Educations Behavioural Management Unit provides advice and programs including the Students At Risk Centre and the health curriculum which is complemented by the Northern Territory governments support for the Life Education Program. As well, there is the Sun Safety Policy Program. These are all run through the Department of Education and are aimed at trying to educate children, their teachers and, most importantly, the parents at home. Kids often have been messengers to their parents about appropriate attitudes and behaviours. Whether it be seat belt or safety belt programs, anti-litter programs or anti-smoking programs, these are often delivered more effectively through the kids rather than our needing to create programs designed to impact on the attitudes of parents. Sadly, despite the governments and the communitys best efforts on preventive measures, the reality is that children are often the victims o f or witnesses to crime. Through the Department o f Law and the Director o f Public Prosecutions, changes have been implemented in recent times to minimise the trauma to victims, particularly victims of sexual offences, and the law now not only provides for video evidence to be given but also removes the ability o f judges to warn juries that a childs evidence needs to be corroborated or that a complainant may be an unreliable witness. This gives greater weight to childrens 1814