1. This week 10 years ago, Queensland introduced new allow the Directors-General of Departments and Chief Executives of statutory authorities to be questioned by Parliamentary Committees in public.
Premier, Anna Bligh said the new laws promised closer scrutiny of legislation and greater accountability and transparency in the lawmaking process.
Leader of the House, Judy Spence said the committees would be empowered and encouraged to hold public hearings when undertaking their investigations.
“This will result in a more accountable Government and ensure public views are taken into consideration,” Ms Spence said.
2. It was also the week a Federal Court hearing in Coober Pedy, South Australia’s Antakirinja Matu-Yankunytjatjara People were recognised as native title holders of 78,672 sq km of land and waters in the north west of the State.
Justice John Mansfield made a consent determination recognising their non-exclusive native title rights to hunt, fish, live, camp, gather and use the natural resources of the area, undertake cultural activities including relating to births and deaths, conduct ceremonies and meetings, and protect places of cultural and religious significance.
3. This week also saw the Therapeutic Goods Legislation Amendment (Copyright) Bill 2011 passed by Parliament ensuring consumers had more ready access to generic medicines, as originating pharmaceutical companies would no longer be able to use copyright of product information to delay or prevent generic medicines entering the market.
The amendments were a response to an emerging practice of pharmaceutical companies arguing that the product information approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration for a generic version of a medicine breached copyright.
4. It was also the week former Public Servant and Chief Minister of the ACT, Jon Stanhope retired.
Mr Stanhope was the longest-serving leader of the ACT Labor Party, taking the lead in 1998 and steering his party to Government at the 2001 election.
In 2004 he secured the only majority Government in the Territory’s history and in 2008 won an historic third term for his party. Under Mr Stanhope, reforms to the Territory’s education system were introduced and a total rebuild of Canberra’s hospitals was commenced.
5. In Victoria it was the week the Deakin University became the first university in Australia to receive internationally recognised certification for its security management standard.
Executive Director at Deakin’s Information Technology Services Division, Peter Brusco said the certification was a reflection of how seriously the university took information security.
“Achieving this certification helps strengthen our information security culture and reduces the risk of fraud, information loss and unauthorised disclosure,” Mr Brusco said.
6. And in Western Australia, nine chuditch (Western quoll) were released into Francois Peron National Park at Shark Bay after being translocated from Julimar Conservation Park, west of Toodyay.
Chuditch were widespread across all mainland States and the Northern Territory at the time of European settlement, but by the 1970s, were restricted to the south west corner of WA.
Minister for the Environment, Bill Marmion said the Department of Environment and Conservation had been working to increase existing populations in the south west and translocate others to their former range. The release into Francois Peron National Park was considered to be a reintroduction, as chuditch were known to exist in the Shark Bay area.
