Page 4386 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 30 November 1994
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SMOKE-FREE AREAS (ENCLOSED PUBLIC PLACES)
(AMENDMENT) BILL 1994
Debate resumed from 29 November 1994, on motion by Mr Connolly:
That this Bill be agreed to in principle.
MRS CARNELL (Leader of the Opposition) (4.44): Madam Speaker, the Opposition will be supporting this Bill in its entirety. It corrects anomalies in the present legislation. It appears that some areas of the current legislation are open to misinterpretation - issues such as what an enclosed restaurant is, the commencement date in some circumstances for licensed premises having to become 50 per cent smoke free, and other similar issues. This Bill brings the smoke-free legislation into line with what the Assembly had in mind when it passed the original legislation.
Mr Berry: But you mucked it up, did you not?
MRS CARNELL: It was not our Bill, Mr Berry; it was a Bill that came from the committee chaired by Mr Moore. We are very happy for this Bill to bring the legislation into line with what I believe the Assembly as a whole, certainly not just the Liberal Party, supported.
The one issue that still is of interest to the Opposition and something that I hope Mr Connolly will elaborate on is the issue of the fee that will be involved in the various aspects of this Bill. It is something that certainly is not elaborated on and is not, for that matter, directly part of this Bill, but it is something that there is real concern about in the community generally. It is with pleasure that I support this Bill. I also thank Mr Connolly for allowing me to be briefed on this Bill last week. As it was put in place only yesterday, it would have been very difficult to come to grips with it over 24 hours otherwise.
MS SZUTY (4.46): I will speak very briefly to this Bill also. I would like to note the comments in the report of the Scrutiny of Bills Committee which has just been tabled by Mrs Grassby, the chair of that committee. They are important. The report states:
Clause 2 of the Bill provides as follows:
"2. This Act commences, or is to be taken to have commenced, on 6 December 1994.".
Under subsection 2(2) of the Smoke-free Areas (Enclosed Public Places) Act 1994, the Minister has published a Gazette notice providing that the remaining provisions of that Act are to commence on 6 December 1994.
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