Page 1060 - Week 06 - Thursday, 27 July 1989

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committees at the moment and we have a further two references to committees contained in today's business paper - one to the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Committee requesting it to examine the Kingston foreshores issue, and another one to that committee asking it to consider the capital works program. Both of these references to that particular committee alone are major references.

But there are other committees in operation. There is the Select Committee on Self-Government, which comprises five members of the Assembly, and the Select Committee on Tenancy of Commercial Premises. That comprises three members. We have, in private members business, a reference from Mrs Nolan which is a further reference to the planning committee on the question of front fences.

So when this amount of business is before the committees it is quite clear that this forthcoming period is going to be as busy as the period immediately past.

In addition to that, we have the Government's legislation program. The sitting program that we have is built around our anticipated program of legislation. It would have been good if we had had right from day one in the Assembly a pile of legislation for the consideration of this chamber; but that was not the case. Obviously, legislation has to be worked up. The drafting process is a lengthy one. As a result, in the very early days of this Government there were significant decisions made in relation to legislation that was to be brought before the chamber.

We have been able to introduce some, but the lead time for that legislation is such that there is now starting to emerge from the pipeline a whole range of items of legislation which will be introduced into the Assembly towards the end of August. Some of it will be introduced towards the end of August. Then progressively, throughout the rest of the year, with a view to that pattern of legislation being concentrated for the periods of November and December, we would expect to see that period being a period of quite heavy activity. So the October-November-December period will be one of quite heavy activity in relation to consideration of a significant number of items of legislation.

I might also add that, in the discussions which we have mentioned here, the Government has negotiated with parties who have an interest in the occupational health and safety legislation and the Government had considered the report, but we wish to, ourselves, pursue some further discussions in relation to that, and that legislation will be brought into the chamber in September. So, by agreement with the parties, that would be the sort of program. It is an item of legislation which will not be coming back until September.


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