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

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 10 Hansard (3 September) . . Page.. 2995 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

The issue of multiunit development was raised in submissions from residents in Reid and Braddon, for example, and the Planning and Land Management Group is currently considering this matter in relation to the Red Hill precinct and will be considering some options to deal with the question of how to deal with the registration of that on the register. It is anticipated that this assessment will be completed later this year. If further investigations suggest an increase in the restrictions of multiunit development, the issue will be dealt with as a changed planning policy as well as a change to the Heritage Places Register, and this would require a further variation to the Territory Plan - with full public consultation, obviously. The variation, I am pleased to say, has been endorsed by the Planning and Environment Committee, and I thank members of the committee for having considered that variation. I commend it to members of the Assembly.

MS FOLLETT: I present Report No. 12 of the Standing Committee on Scrutiny of Bills and Subordinate Legislation. I seek leave to make a brief statement on the report.

Leave granted.

MS FOLLETT: Report No. 12 of 1996 contains the committee's comments on 13 Bills, 26 pieces of subordinate legislation and one Government response. There are a couple of matters that I would like to make brief reference to, Mr Speaker.

Members might forgive me if, first, I express some frustration with some of the work which is coming before the Scrutiny of Bills Committee. Mr Speaker, I regard the role of the Scrutiny of Bills Committee as far more than that of a somewhat overpaid proofreading service, yet an enormous amount of the time of the committee and the work of our very highly skilled professional adviser falls into the proofreading category. It just astonishes me, knowing as I do from experience the number of hands and the number of pairs of eyes that should have examined legislation and subordinate legislation coming before this Assembly, all of whom have repeatedly missed some pretty fundamental errors in pieces of work, Mr Speaker. I think that is a bit sad; nevertheless, it is the case.

There are a couple of matters that I need to refer to. In the Attorney-General's Uncollected Goods Bill apparently an entire part is missing. The question of the missing part made for some very humorous debate in the Scrutiny of Bills Committee's consideration of the Bill; nevertheless, Mr Speaker, you wonder how a Bill got all the way through the administration, all the way through Cabinet, and all the way into this Assembly with such an obvious error. We have Parts I, II and IV but no Part III. That sort of thing happens pretty frequently and the committee has to report upon it.

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