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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 7 Hansard (27 June) . . Page.. 2056 ..


MR MOORE (continuing):

'(2) However, section 40A (Compliance with building code) binds the Territory in relation to a matter mentioned in subsection (1).'.".

As indicated in the explanatory memorandum, the amendment is largely a drafting matter. I would appreciate the support of members.

Amendment agreed to.

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

Bill, as amended, agreed to.

Sitting suspended from 6.27 to 8.00 pm.

APPROPRIATION BILL 1999-2000 (NO 3)

Debate resumed from 23 May 2000, on motion by Mr Humphries:

That this bill be agreed to in principle.

MR QUINLAN (8.00): The opposition will be supporting this bill. It tidies up the finances of ACTION. It confirms the original estimates, hopes and plans for ACTION have been a fairly sorry story. It also provides additional funding for criminal injuries compensation. I might just take this opportunity to record my opinion that that also has been a fairly sorry exercise. I am sorry that Mr Rugendyke and Mr Osborne are not here. I would just record the fact that the way this bill now operates to favour an elite group at the expense of the general public is a fairly sad commentary on the place; otherwise, we are happy to support the bill.

MR HARGREAVES (8.03): I will be very brief. As the Deputy Leader of the Opposition said, we will be supporting the bill. In fact, we have no choice. This bill is about a funding fiasco. It is actually about funding a lack of achievement in the rehashing of the network and the provision of unrealistic targets.

Mr Speaker, I understand the need to provide supplementation for unforeseen things, such as fuel hikes. I suspect that we will be seeing even more of them now that the GST is about to be introduced on fuel. But I am a bit curious as to why we need an increase of $500,000 for legal settlements arising out of accidents. I would have thought that the base funding would have been enough to satisfy that. However, I accept that as a valid call of another unforeseen nature as it was not within the power of the government to foresee that sort of legal claim.

However, this does hold up a flag for us, Mr Speaker; it sets off a beacon that accidents do happen in this game. The bus drivers are on the road for an awful long time and it is a high-risk area, so we need to be particularly cautious that we do not introduce regimes that change the manner in which drivers go about their work in such a way as to put them further at risk. I suspect that this may well be the case with the downward surge in the number of drivers.


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