Page 4715 - Week 15 - Thursday, 16 December 1993
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The Speaker may disallow any motion or amendment which is the same in substance as any question, which, during the calendar year, has been resolved in the affirmative or negative, unless the order, resolution or vote on such question or amendment has been rescinded.
Of course, there have been precedents in the Assembly when Bills infringing this standing order have been ruled out of order and ordered to be withdrawn. I rule that the Bill is out of order. However, as standing orders are suspended in relation to this Bill, I believe that the debate may proceed.
MR WOOD (Minister for Education and Training, Minister for the Arts and Minister for the Environment, Land and Planning) (12.23): Madam Speaker, the Government likes to get agreement on the matters it brings forward in the house. This Bill has been out for discussion with the players for some time. We have not reached agreement quickly on every point; hence discussion has gone on until very recently. I inform the house that tomorrow I will be in a position to release the draft Bill I had indicated would be released this week for further comment. All people will then be able to see the Bill in full. As Mr Berry says, that Bill will cover all aspects that we need to examine; it will not cover just the one point that Mr De Domenico has raised. It will not be confined; it will not be narrow. It will protect the industry and the people who contribute to the long service leave levy. It will protect the interests of training. It will cover absolutely everything.
I think it would be very sensible for this Assembly, before acting on Mr De Domenico's Bill, to see the fairly substantial Bill - the full Bill - that will be released tomorrow. That seems to me to be the sensible way to proceed. I do not know why there seems to be a need to rush this through today as a matter of urgency when the matter is well in hand. I repeat that the Government's Bill will reflect agreement amongst all the players, and for that reason I would urge members to consider seriously whether they need to support this private members Bill today. I think we have the answer.
There are reasons for the time the Government's Bill has taken. I do not think there will be a problem if the industry does not get this measure through today. In February it can be accommodated retrospectively. Indeed, I think the way that Mr Berry indicated we would be proceeding will give a better deal to industry than that proposed by Mr De Domenico. We will get a better deal for the people Mr De Domenico is claiming to represent. I do not think we need to proceed with this today.
MR BERRY (Minister for Health, Minister for Industrial Relations and Minister for Sport) (12.26): Madam Speaker, I will go over a few extra points. As I said in speaking to the motion for the suspension of standing orders, the issue is half-baked. Mr Wood has presented what will occur with the other part of the formula, which is most important in this matter. It will provide for the collection of revenue for industry training and will indeed complete the package. If we do not complete the package, we will leave out an important element for those people who are beneficiaries of the legislation - that is, those workers in the industry who receive training from the industry training council. Of course, the collection of money for long service leave would not be affected and those beneficiaries would not be affected. But the other important part of the formula has been abandoned by the Liberals.
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