Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 8 Hansard (27 June) . . Page.. 2371 ..

MRS CARNELL (Chief Minister and Minister for Health and Community Care) (8.17): The Government will be supporting the amendment, Mr Speaker. The only thing with it that may at times be a bit of a problem is the three sitting days. There could be a situation where the board would have to meet in the meantime. But I am sure that, if that were tabled in the Assembly, the Assembly would be reasonable.

MR MOORE (8.18): Mr Speaker, since the amendment was circulated in my name, it may well be worth speaking to. Perhaps I should explain that Mr Berry and I had discussed it, following his suggestion that it should be there, and I had asked the Parliamentary Counsel to draft this copy, which Mr Berry would then appropriately move. Mrs Carnell raised the issue of the three sitting days. There are a couple of reasons why it ought to be three sitting days, and I think they are self-evident. The awkwardness with it, though, is something that I think is unlikely to occur very often, in the first place. Secondly, even if a direction is given and the board does not meet, it still is not inappropriate for that direction to have been tabled in the Assembly. Board members could be made aware of such a direction and need not have responded to it; nevertheless it could still be tabled in the Assembly, if you take as the worst case scenario that a Minister decides that they must draw up a direction on a Monday and then there are three sitting days. So, by and large, that is a small problem; but I think it is still appropriate that, if this unusual move were to be taken, it should appear before the Assembly as soon as possible.

Amendment agreed to.

Bill, as a whole, as amended, agreed to.

Question put:

That this Bill, as amended, be agreed to.

The Assembly voted -

AYES, 8	 	NOES, 7

Mrs Carnell	Mr Berry
Mr Cornwell	Ms Horodny
Mr Hird		Ms McRae
Mr Humphries	Ms Reilly
Mr Kaine	Ms Tucker
Mr Moore	Mr Whitecross
Mr Osborne	Mr Wood
Mr Stefaniak

Bill, as amended, agreed to.

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .