Compulsory Police Checks on Volunteers & Staff Working with Children
Children's Protection (Implementation of Report Recommendations) Amendment Bill 2009
The State Government has introduced a Bill that amongst other things will mandate for all organisations involved with children to:
- Strengthen their child protection policies and lodge these with the Government in 2010
- Have policies that assess people like sporting coaches, private music tutors, general practitioners and dentists etc. to ensure that they are the appropriate people to be trusted with children.
- Ensure all people working or volunteering directly with children in organisations to undergo criminal history assessments unless exempted.
More information is available from www.sa.gov.au/mullighaninquiry
Donations of Goods and Services for Charitable of Benevolent Purposes
Recently the State Government, with the strong support of the Opposition, changed the law so that donors of food for charitable or benevolent purposes were protected from liability as long as they did not know the food was unsafe and they were not reckless about its safety. The theory being that protection from liability in these circumstances would increase food donations.
As a former National and State President of Apex and ’s first Minister for Volunteers I have long argued in the Parliament for laws that better protect volunteers and encourage volunteering.
Environment Protection (Product Deposit) Amendment Bill 2008
A Private Members Bill to expand the container deposit scheme into other products.Poker Machine Trading Hours Reform
A Private Members Bill introduced to uniform the six hour break in play required under the Gaming Machine Act 1992.
