Page 3139 - Week 11 - Tuesday, 20 September 1994
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The Government has proposed a series of amendments to the Bill which essentially give legislative form to the Government's response to the committee. They can perhaps be described as technical aspects of the machinery of the Bill. The principal issue that we will be debating here tonight is whether the Government's preferred position of the ban in restaurants and progressive moves either to ban or not to ban in other places should be adopted by the Assembly or whether the committee's view should be adopted, which was that there should be what may be described as a safe air standard. I think that that will be the subject of considerable debate this evening. The amendments that I am moving now are rather more general. The first amendment is a commencement provision. It provides that a general prohibition on smoking in enclosed public places shall not come into commencement earlier than 60 days after the Act is notified in the Gazette. That again is consistent with the committee's recommendations.
MR MOORE (8.03): Madam Speaker, I do not have any difficulty with this, but I do have a little bit of difficulty with the way in which Mr Connolly has presented the committee's majority position. The committee's majority position was not one of just establishing a safe air standard. However, we will get into that debate in a little while. Rather than what can be heard from the cacophony in the background over there, what we have done is to ensure that we adopt a very sensible position. Indeed, the Government's amendment in this case is also very sensible. Without the amendment, businesses could well find that, immediately the Act is gazetted, there is an impact on them. I think it is quite appropriate for the Government to allow time for businesses to ensure that they can comply with the Act. I think that 60 days is a quite sensible period.
MS SZUTY (8.04): Madam Speaker, I indicate to the Assembly that I will be supporting the amendment moved by Mr Connolly. It is a sensible provision. It means that the changes will not come in overnight and that businesses will have 60 days to adjust to them.
Amendment agreed to.
Clause, as amended, agreed to.
Clause 3
MR CONNOLLY (Attorney-General and Minister for Health) (8.05): I move:
Page 2, lines 7 and 8, definition of "enclosed", omit "a floor and".
Madam Speaker, this is the second of the Government's responses to the committee's report. It omits the requirement for an enclosed public place, within the meaning of the Act, to have a floor.
Mr Moore: Are you going to explain why you do not need a floor?
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