capital punishment Government Senate Leader Milton Scott played down claims from opposition senators that the drafting of the abolition of capital punishment bill was flawed, saying that amendments to bills could always be made at a later date.

And he emphasised that Government had always addressed concerns over legislation in the past.

"It is not the end of the world, it can come back and be made better,'' he said.

"The one thing that concerns me is the issue of capital punishment has to be addressed. Every right thinking person would think it is barbaric and should not be taking place, and I'm in favour of abolition.

"I would hope we can get sufficient support around the table to ensure it is eradicated from the statute books before the Millennium.

"I have heard concerns and I will take them back and will see that the Attorney General will address these concerns and I'm sure that will go to the Law Reform Committee.'' Opposition Sen. Kim Swan said: "We are duty bound that if something is not right, to get it right. If the bill is pointed out to us to be flawed, it is incumbent on us and Government to say we'll wait and bring it back.'' He said if the bill was brought back properly amended and workable, he had no doubt it would be passed at Senate, regardless of people's opinion.

Government Sen. Calvin Smith said he was disappointed that the issues surrounding the death penalty and corporal punishment had not been addressed.

Research had shown that "abuse leads to abuse'', he said, and Government could not be responsible for carrying out this type of brutality.

He said the bill had gone through a "whole battery of trained lawyers'' including some from the Opposition in the House, and it would be "remiss'' if the bill was turned down.

Sen. Oughton said he intended to vote for abolition.

"What concerns me is that this is a document with such significance to this country and these people on the hill and the experts there, we can assume no one took time to read the thing, because had they gone through this item by item they would have seen where the errors are made,'' he said.

Government Sen. Patrice Parris said Senate had passed amendments before and it had the ability to do so with this bill.

Government Sen. David Burch said it was an "honour'' to be given the chance to vote for abolition.

He said it was not the intention of legal draftsmen or the Government to make errors which would allow a three-year sentence to be changed to life, but he was not "at the stage where it causes me enough concern that I would not vote in favour of passing the bill''.

"At the earliest possible moment, amendments will be brought forward to correct these anomalies,'' he said. "I can't be a party to extending this legislation into the next century.

"I joined a party that has a long-standing position on this and has a history of being at the forefront of the abolition of capital punishment.'' Sen. Burch said he would not enjoy his Christmas if he did not vote to abolish a "barbaric and inhumane'' practice.

"All of us will be recorded in history how we voted in the most significant legislation, including its faults, that has ever been passed into legislation this year, and probably this century,'' he added.

Milton Scott