Page 19 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 16 February 1993
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GOVERNMENT'S PRIORITIES AND AUTUMN LEGISLATION PROGRAM
Ministerial Statement and Paper
MS FOLLETT (Chief Minister and Treasurer), by leave: Madam Speaker, as is customary at the commencement of each sitting period of the Assembly, I table the Government's legislation program for the 1993 autumn sittings. The program provides members and the community with an overview of the legislation proposals intended for introduction into the Assembly or for preparation during the next few months. The program is presented in portfolio format, within which the legislation proposals are arranged in a two-tier priority order. The Government has changed the presentation of the legislation program for these sittings to reflect changes we have made in the system for controlling the development and drafting of Bills. As a result, the first priority category reflects Bills the Government is confident it will introduce during these sittings. The second priority encompasses those Bills in preparation which might be introduced during this period.
At a glance, the legislation program shows that we intend to introduce major legislation in a number of areas. I will be introducing this week several Bills designed to safeguard the Territory's revenue base in the light of a recent High Court decision. Amendments will be proposed to the Gaming Machine Act to enhance the enforcement of the legislation and to update purchasing, leasing, jackpot linkages and maximum bets of gaming machines to ensure that ACT clubs remain competitive with their counterparts in New South Wales. This is in accordance with our election commitment.
The legislation to implement an independent health complaints unit will fulfil an election promise. We will introduce part 2 of the food legislation package to provide for standards for premises and food preparation. This Bill will provide powers for the Medical Officer of Health in relation to authorisations, warnings, bans and destruction of food. A series of Bills will provide the first requirements for the registration of psychologists and podiatrists in the ACT, together with the introduction of national uniform regulations for other health professionals.
Another major legislative proposal will be the Commissioner for the Environment, who will have statutory independence to investigate complaints about actions which damage the environment. We will also legislate to protect endangered native plants and animals. The Government will introduce a boxing control Bill, completing another election commitment. A Bill to register providers of education and training services to fee-paying overseas students will protect the reputation of this growing export industry.
The long list of Bills in the Attorney-General's area shows that Mr Connolly will be continuing with his excellent law reform work. Bills dealing with sentencing principles and penalty units will be introduced. A major new piece of legislation will provide for recognition of the economic and property contributions made by people in a domestic relationship. We will propose an amendment to the Discrimination Act to prohibit age discrimination. The mental health laws will be overhauled with the introduction of the mental health tribunal. We hope to pass the Adoption Bill, which we introduced last year, and we will introduce a points demerit system to weed out persistently bad drivers who are a danger on our roads.
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