Page 266 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 31 May 1989
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outline their conservation status; the conservator of wildlife to be able to make and amend declarations; any declarations to be tabled in the Assembly and to be subject to disallowance; closing some loopholes in the present Act; and providing gender neutral terms in the Act. The Bill will have minimal effect on revenue or expenditure. I present the explanatory memorandum for the Bill.
Debate (on motion by Mr Humphries) adjourned.
WATER POLLUTION (AMENDMENT) BILL 1989
MRS GRASSBY (Minister for Housing and Urban Services) (10.35): I present the Water Pollution (Amendment) Bill 1989. I move:
That this Bill be agreed to in principle.
The Water Pollution Act was introduced by the Commonwealth in 1984 and became operational in 1985. Regulations under the Act define the classification of water in the ACT, the standards required for discharge into those waters, and the requirements for analysis of samples and restricted substances. As it stands, the Act includes terms of a technical nature which now do not comply with common practices.
The Water Pollution (Amendment) Bill 1989 amends the Act to protect this. The Bill also rearranges sections relating to the analyst appointed under the Act and allows an analyst to accompany an inspector. The need for the analysis of samples set out in the regulations has been overtaken by improvements in testing methods. The present Act means that changes to testing methods which have been improved or the use of more appropriate methods which are not contained in the regulations would require changes to those regulations - a slow process. This could cause unnecessary delays and failure to enforce the legislation adequately.
The Bill requires the pollution control authority to prepare and publish a manual setting out the methods to be used by analysts. The manual and each amendment may be disallowed and will be required to be gazetted and laid before the Legislative Assembly within 15 days of the date of gazettal. The Bill will have no effect on income or expenditure but will allow for better management of water pollution analysis.
The Bill will not become operational until after the publication of the manual of analytical methods. This will allow the existing provisions to continue. I now present the explanatory memorandum for the Bill.
Debate (on motion by Mr Stefaniak) adjourned.
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