Page 551 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 19 May 1992
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
STATUTE LAW REVISION (MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS) BILL 1992
MR CONNOLLY (Attorney-General, Minister for Housing and Community Services and Minister for Urban Services): Madam Speaker, I seek leave to present the Statute Law Revision (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 1992.
Leave granted.
MR CONNOLLY: I present the Statute Law Revision (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 1992.
Title read by Clerk.
MR CONNOLLY: Madam Speaker, I move:
That this Bill be agreed to in principle.
The Statute Law Revision (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 1992 makes various technical corrections to different ACT Acts. It is the first of what will be a series of technical revision Bills to update and improve the expression of legislation. This and future revision Bills will not change the substance of the law; they are to make technical corrections only. The Bills are an exercise in good housekeeping and contribute to the revision and modernisation of legislation of a kind similar to that taking place in other jurisdictions throughout Australia. These revision Bills are of crucial importance as they improve the accessibility of legislation through making its language more readable and remove sexist language which is still prevalent in ACT legislation.
Generally, the Government will introduce these revision Bills into the Assembly in the normal way, and they will not be treated with any particular urgency. However, it is important that this Bill be passed this week as it prevents errors in the Crimes Act, which would otherwise lead to confusion.
In 1990 the Assembly passed the Crimes (Amendment) Act (No. 3) 1990. This Act inserted new sections 152 to 154 into the Crimes Act, dealing with computer offences. In late 1991 the Assembly passed the Crimes (Amendment) Act (No. 2) 1991. Unfortunately, when this Act commences on 11 June 1992 - it must commence, pursuant to the six-month automatic commencement provision - it will renumber existing sections 358AA to 358AI of the Crimes Act as sections 152 to 160. These sections deal with escape.
Members who were present in the last Assembly towards the latter part of last year would recall that a member, who is no longer present, presented a flurry of private members' Crimes (Amendment) Bills. A perusal of Hansard of September and October last year would show that there was some confusion, as those private members' Bills amending the Crimes Act were regularly being amended by the member who is no longer present on the floor of the house.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .