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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 14 Hansard (12 December) . . Page.. 4389 ..

MR HARGREAVES (continuing):

This side of the house does not believe a referral from the Assembly is necessary. Ms Dundas is a member of the Administration and Procedure Committee and could have brought this motion directly to the committee. However, Labor will not oppose the motion, Mr Speaker.

MR SMYTH (Leader of the Opposition) (11.58): Mr Speaker, the opposition will be supporting the motion. As other speakers have said, this grows out of the Privileges Committee's report, and particularly out of its consideration of the role of InTACT as the IT provider. I think this does need some scrutiny. It is important to determine the status of volunteers who have been working in offices. Codes of conduct are very serious things to put in place and deserve serious consideration. A committee is the appropriate place to do that.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

Health-Standing Committee

Report No 2

MS TUCKER (11.59): I present the following report:

Health-Standing Committee-Report No 2-Inquiry into the Gene Technology Bill 2002, dated 12 December 2002, together with a copy of the extracts of the minutes of proceedings.

I ask for leave to move a motion authorising the report for publication.

Leave granted.

MS TUCKER: I move:

That the report be authorised for publication.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

MS TUCKER: I move:

That the report be noted.

This unanimous report I table today on behalf of the Standing Committee on Health has made 25 recommendations regarding the regulation of gene technology. The report gives an overall picture of what gene technology is and how it can be used, and then provides a critique of the current regulatory framework.

The committee has, through its recommendations, expressed serious concerns about, particularly, the lack of appeal rights for any other applicants, the lack of protection from crop contamination by genetically modified products for non-GM farmers, and the uncertain situation regarding liability and insurance. Despite these concerns, the committee is recommending the bill be passed with amendments as indicated in the report. If we have our own legislation we will have a greater potential to take into

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