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THE CANBERRA TIMES Thursday, November 7, 2013 canberratimes.com.au

Struggling rights agencies may merge

By Lisa Cox

INDEX
World .....................................................................12,13 Business............................................. Times2, 11-17 Pulse .........................................................Times2, 16 Editorial ....................................................Times2, 2 Opinion ..................................................Times2, 1-5 Arts .......................................................... Times2, 6,7 Gang-gang ..............................................................14 Weather ....................................................................14 Classifieds .............................................Times2, 19 Sport .................................................Times2, 20-28

The ACTs human rights agencies could be merged to help them deal with an escalating case load, a Legislative Assembly committee has heard. Human Rights Commissioner Helen Watchirs told an annual reports hearing on Wednesday that her office could be amalgamated with the Office of the Public Advocate and the Victims of Crime Commissioner. The agencies have been battling resourcing issues, in particular, staffing levels that are too low to cope with demand for services. The ACT government is review-

RESTRICTED: Human Rights Commissioner Helen Watchirs says staff woes are dire. Photo:
Jay Cronan

ing the agencies and said on Wednesday no decision had been made about merging the offices. Last month, Attorney-General Simon Corbell said the governments human rights dollars could be better spent and flagged a restructure of the agencies to address under-staffing. Mr Corbell

said one option the government could consider involved the agencies sharing back-of-house resources to free up funds for frontline services. Dr Watchirs told Wednesdays hearing resources were so constrained her office could not conduct a full audit of Canberras jail. She said were it not for staffing issues she would absolutely have a review to investigate ongoing problems with overcrowding. Theres not sufficient resources to do a review of the male prison and the overcrowding, its just the female area which is between 12 and 15 detainees [that is possible], she said.

The Human Rights Commissioner said a full audit would cost between $200,000 and $300,000 and would take one to two years with two staff members. Earlier in the hearing, Dr Watchirs said whether or not a merger took place would likely be known next year, after the review concluded. Anything that would result in more services because of efficiencies, I think would be what we would want, she said. So long as it doesnt mean that our present resources are diluted. In her 2012-13 annual report, the territorys public advocate Anita Phillips complained that the caseload for her office was far too high

for staff members to cope with. Ms Phillips wrote that mental health patients and prisoners at Canberras jail had gone without representation as the ACTs one mental health advocate could not keep up with the demand. The report showed a 5 per cent increase in the number of clients brought to the public advocate in 2012-13, but a drop in the number of patients given assistance to protect their human rights. Ms Phillips warned it was beyond the capacity of the public advocate to meet demand and inevitably this will result in a reevaluation and rationalisation of whom the PA ACT can support.

Mr Corbell said on Wednesday he had written to Dr Watchirs, Ms Phillips, Victims of Crime Commissioner John Hinchey and the Public Trustee earlier in the year to note the impact the territorys challenging financial position was having on small agencies. I have since met with the office holders to get their views on possibilities to strengthen the delivery of services to the ACT community while meeting fiscal constraints, he said. Mr Corbell said the consultancy firm conducting the review was expected to report to the Justice and Community Safety directorate in mid-December.

PHONE NUMBERS
Classifieds General inquiries Home delivery 13 63 55 6280 2122 6280 2222

LOTTERIES
Wednesday Lotto draw 3293:33, 34, 20, 1, 42, 31. Supplementaries: 38, 24. Dividends: Div 1, $1,000,000.00. Total prize pool: $1,500,704.80. Wednesday Lotto Strike draw 3791:33, 34, 20, 1. Total prize pool: $360,000,00.

Gift of Life honour for walking the talk

By Devon McGillicuddy

CENTENARY EVENTS
Afroditi Sings: The Street Theatre, 8pm (until November 10). Ben Quilty: A Survey: Drill Hall Gallery (until December 15). Mapping Our World: Terra Incognita To Australia: National Library of Australia (until March 10). Musical offerings: Sophisticated Swing, Leave No Song Unsung, Australian War Memorial Cafe, 12.30pm. Bec Taylor (piano), The Bec Residency, Smiths Alternative Bookshop, Civic, 12.30pm. Woden Valley Festival Singer-songwriter competition, Home-made Jam, Music Industry Centre, Woden, 7pm. Kimberley Steele (piano), Estelita Rae (violin) and Jack Hobbs (cello), Threes a Crowd Thrilling Piano Trios by Mendelssohn, Brahms and Schubert, National Library foyer, 7pm. Youth Extra Ordinary: Canberra Contemporary Art Space, Braddon (until November 9). ANCA: Ellipsis: ANCA Gallery, Dickson, 12pm-5pm (Wed-Sun, until November 10). Canberra International Film Festival: various times and locations (until November 10). Showcase: the 2nd Annual Canberra Festival of Australian Childrens Literature: University of Canberra, Bruce (until November 15). Hiroe Swen Solo Exhibition: Belconnen Arts Centre, Belconnen (until November 17). Sportenary Try BMX for Free: Canberra BMX Club, Melba, various times (until November 22). Sportenary Budding Brumbies Launch Day: various times and locations (see canberra100.com.au for details, until November 22). Head Full of Flames: Punk in the Nations Capital 1977-1990: Canberra Museum and Gallery (until November 24). Cinecity Canberra: National Film and Sound Archive (until November 27).

Its been six years since Terry Connolly died of a heart attack, but the students of St Clares College are ensuring he still has a positive impact on the Canberra community. The school was recognised on Wednesday among six Gift of Life award recipients for their championing of organ and tissue donation. Well-known politician and judge Connolly had two daughters, Lara and Maddy, at the school at the time of his death in 2007. Mr Connolly was an organ donor and an awareness walk has been held in his name ever since. St Clares social justice captain Hope Fraser said the school still felt strongly about the issue even though Mr Connollys daughters had graduated. Its now something the students are genuinely concerned about and we look forward to the event every year, she said. Ms Fraser said the school tried to keep the focus of the event on the importance of having discussion with families about individuals wishes. Money helps, but its awareness that actually makes a difference, the 18-year old said. The school has been involved

with the walk since it started in 2007 and Gift of Life president David OLeary said its involvement had helped the event almost double in size. There were 400 girls who participated this year. You can tell they believe in the cause, he said. And even though Terry Connollys daughters are no longer at the school they still do it, its become a school tradition. St Clares sport captain Nikki Phillips said that the students sent out emails to parents and teachers before the event to encourage them to have discussions about organ donation and how it can save lives. It starts with the students and then they talk to their parents, she said. The awards were organised by the Gift of Life organisation, which promotes awareness of organ and tissue donation in the ACT region. Other recipients of awards presented by Chief Minister Katy Gallagher were: Ivan and Judith Stibohar (for their continued support of charity events), the Department of Agriculture (for leadership and advocacy), Professor Paul Smith (for his pivotal role in developing the ACT Bone Bank), the Four Corners team (for the Gracious Gift story) and Jon Seccull (for ongoing campaigning).

WINNING SMILES: From left, school captains at St Clares College, Nikki Phillips, 17, left and Hope Fraser, 18. Photo: GRAHAM TIDY

Geeky Russ helps put library exhibit on map More buses are missing their mark
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it was now in the right place and under the right conditions. It was disassembled in three crates and the journey was ... really very difficult. It was a great challenge but we won it, he said. Head of maps at the British Library Peter Barber said an exhibition of this scale would not be seen anywhere else in the world. You wouldnt get this exhibition in Europe because the institutions would never lend, he said. Its not rivalry, but there is a tendency to say, If you want to see this, just pop on a train and come and see it. To be honest, its not simply us being churlish. Travel is dangerous for old objects.

Its worthwhile because Europeans would never have the chance to see a show like this. For the National Librarys curator of maps, Martin Woods, the exhibition was the culmination of several years of planning and negotiating. I dont know how much more excited I could be, he said. Im really looking forward to seeing people in here. At the moment, the lighting people are out, and I can see these wonderful objects for what they are from any angle, I can compare this map with that map, I can understand the cartography of the French and the British, or the Dutch and the Portuguese. He said the curatorial team had made a deliberate decision to open the show with some examples of indigenous Australian mapping.

What we thought eventually was, of course, Aboriginal people were here doing their own mapping, using maps to create trails, he said. But these tracks were in place for thousands of years, and at the same time, ancient Greeks and others were imagining that there might be an Antipodes. So it really seemed sensible to us to open the exhibition by having the ancient mapping next to the indigenous mapping. Crowes star power perhaps combined with a packed hall and too much standing caused one elderly woman to faint, with an ambulance summoned.
Mapping Our World: Terra Incognita to Australia opens at the National Library on Thursday and runs until March 10. Entry is free.

By Peter Jean Chief Assembly Reporter

On paper, more ACTION buses are running late. But in reality, new technology is probably just providing more accurate information about whether or not bus drivers are able to adhere to timetables. ACT government transport bosses were quizzed during an ACT Assembly committee hearing on Wednesday about the continued decline in the number of public bus services that run on time. In 2010-11, about threequarters of buses were believed to run on time, compared with an 83 per cent target. The following year, a target of 85 per cent was set but only

70 per cent of bus services ran on time. In 2012-13, only 68 per cent of services kept up with the timetable. Paul Peters, executive director of Roads and Public Transport, told deputy Liberal leader Alistair Coe that the decline in performance coincided with a change in the way on-time running statistics were collected. Previously they had been determined based on customer survey results, but new MyWay technology had enabled the point at which buses arrived at key stops to be electronically recorded. Mr Peters said the government had set the 85 per cent on-time target with the benefit of the more-accurate electronic data. Without having the benefit of

the data, we thought 85 per cent was probably a reasonable benchmark based on what our survey information had been before and what other sorts of [interstate] indicators there are, particularly in Western Australia, he said. Territory and Municipal Services Minister Shane Rattenbury said on-time performance should improve when a new bus network and timetable began. One of the key things is to make sure that we come up with a realistic timetable using all of that MyWay data that now says, It takes X minutes to get from A to B, Mr Rattenbury said. The government expects to finalise details of the new network within about a month.

FRIDGE DOOR
TODAY Field Naturalists: Speaker: Dr Leo Joseph on the topic "The Intriguing links between the birds of New Guinea and Australia." Today, 7.30pm. Seminar room, Gould Wing, Building 116, Daley Road ANU. Ph: 6254 1763 COMING UP Farewell Party, paediatrics at the Canberra Hospital: An invitation is extended to all families and staff for whom paediatrics at the Canberra Hospital has special meaning. We will be celebrating 20-plus years of caring for children in the Paediatric Unit on Levels 4 and 5 of the tower block as we relocate to the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children. December 3, 10am-noon. Paediatrics at Canberra Hospital Level 4, Building 1. RSVP: for catering purposes to Annette Schmahl. Ph: 6174 7375

SYDNEY HARBOUR New Years Eve Australia Day

Heritage Sleeping Car Train Tours to Sydney
with exclusive harbour cruises included NEW YEARS EVE FIREWORKS
Heritage train Canberra to Sydney Tues. 31 Dec. with lunch on board, then join our exclusive chartered cruise catamaran, Aussie Magic, for a memorable new years eve cruising the harbour with buffet dinner & open bar - see the spectacular fireworks (9pm & midnight) from the reflective waters of the harbour - no jostling the crowds for vantage points. Rejoin the train for supper & the trip back to Canberra in sleeping cars with breakfast on board. Limited places remaining.

AUSTRALIA DAY ON SYDNEY HARBOUR

Overnight trip Canberra to Sydney Saturday 25 Jan. in sleeping cars with supper & breakfast on board. Cruise Sydney Harbour aboard our exclusive catamaran Southern Star and follow the exciting harbour events including the ferry race & the tall ships race with buffet lunch on board & open bar. Back to Darling Harbour late afternoon for free Aust. Day entertainment until the 9pm fireworks. Then back to Canberra overnight in sleeping cars with supper and breakfast on board. Early bird discount fares apply until 1 December. Phone Richard for colour brochures - 6232 6405.

ARE YOU NEXT?

CANBERRA AUDITIONS
THURSDAY 7 NOVEMBER 2013
RYDGES LAKESIDE 1 LONDON CIRCUIT , CANBERRA CITY REGISTRATION 11AM - 5PM

CHRISTMAS PARTY DINNER-DANCE TRAINS

Saturday Evenings November 23 & 30, & December 7:
Get your Christmas party out of the rut and onto the rails - join our party trains departing Canberra Station at 6.15pm with dinner served on board. Licensed bar in the Lounge Car. Enjoy live jazz at Tarago Station & the novel experience of dancing to live music in the dance car on the way home. Back to Canberra at midnight.

Book your party with Richard - 6232 6405. www.canberrarailwaymuseum.org

Australian Railway Historical Society

ACT Division Inc.

Enquiries 6232 6405

Monday - Friday 10 - 3

Getting there is half the fun