Page 953 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 19 April 1994
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I would like to thank the Chief Minister for agreeing to move the motion to establish the Select Committee on Estimates at this time, as this will enable members of the committee to consider the task ahead. I have had some discussions with members about the possibility of a review process later in the year, once definitive figures on government expenditure become available. While I think that remains an issue for this Assembly to resolve, nonetheless I think it is important that the Select Committee on Estimates be established at a very early stage in the budget process in 1994.
MR LAMONT (Minister for Urban Services, Minister for Housing and Community Services, Minister for Industrial Relations and Minister for Sport) (4.56): Might I indicate briefly, for the record, Madam Speaker, how disappointed I will be in not being able to be a member of the Estimates Committee this year.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
ELECTORAL (AMENDMENT) BILL 1993
Detail Stage
Clause 1
Debate resumed from 14 April 1994.
Clause agreed to.
Clauses 2 to 4, by leave, taken together, and agreed to.
Clause 5
MR HUMPHRIES (4.57): Madam Speaker, I move:
a. Page 2, lines 27 and 28, omit the clause, substitute the following clause:
Preamble
"5. The preamble to the Principal Act is amended by omitting paragraph 5.".
The Government's Bill proposes to delete the preamble to the Electoral Act. That preamble is a very significant piece of the Electoral Act. Members will recall the debate surrounding its inclusion in the Act. I was extremely disappointed to see that the Government proposed to remove it.
I might explain, Madam Speaker, that the preamble is not just a piece of verbiage that is thrown in there to make the Bill a bit longer and to give the Government Printer a headache. It is there for a very express purpose. The Assembly, in enacting the Electoral Act of 1992, and in considering this Electoral Bill before us today, in a sense is working in more limited circumstances than is the case for other legislation.
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