Page 1073 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 23 June 1992
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which have been previously tabled in the Assembly set out the criteria for the granting of various classes of leases under these sections. The provisions recognise the need for greater public accountability in the direct granting of leases. Members may be interested to know that the lease for block 1257, Belconnen, was also the last freehold lease to be acquired by the Government.
PASSAGE OF BILLS
Discussion of Matter of Public Importance
MADAM SPEAKER: I have received a letter from Mr Stevenson proposing that a matter of public importance be submitted to the Assembly for discussion, namely:
That the brief time allowed for the passage of many Bills through the Assembly is insufficient for adequate public discussion and consultation to take place.
MR STEVENSON (3.07): The question I pose is: How are Canberrans to find out what it is that we do in this Assembly or what legislation or other actions we are taking or propose to take?
Mr Berry: Haven't you been reading the Canberra Times lately?
MR STEVENSON: Mr Berry asks whether I have been reading the Canberra Times lately. It is probably a good question. I commend the Canberra Times for the greater detail that they are giving in reporting matters in this Assembly. That is an excellent thing and fully worthy of commendation. I have certainly mentioned over the years other things about the Canberra Times.
In a democracy one of the vital roles of public servants, including members of parliament, is to make sure that the public are informed of matters that they are considering - matters that the public should know about so that they can also consider them. Simply put, we should let constituents know what is happening with their community. There have been many occasions when people have not known. One example was the Door-to-Door Trading Act that was passed in this Assembly. Months later, after it started to bite in the community, I am sure all members of the Assembly received letters from concerned organisations involved in door-to-door trading or multilevel marketing, saying that they knew absolutely nothing about this legislative proposal that makes it extremely difficult for them to operate their businesses. We had a number of letters stating things such as, "I could not believe that such legislation was being introduced in the 1990s in the ACT or in Australia".
So, what needs to happen when we make a proposal? Let me make the point that the real trigger for public consultation is when the fine print is tabled, when a Bill is proposed in the Assembly. It matters not that there may have been discussions about various aspects of particular subjects for many months, for many years, even for decades. That is not the important thing. What is important is laws that are passed in the Assembly. The only time we can truly understand what laws are proposed for passage is when the Bills for those laws are tabled. It is at that time that people in the public arena have a right to know and have a right to have the time to do a number of things. Let me look at what those things are.
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