Page 4289 - Week 13 - Thursday, 17 November 2005
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has contacted his office to talk about the issues that he may have with the legislation. He indicated he had a misunderstanding, perhaps, of the terminology behind civil and personal liability. We addressed those, and our understanding was that Mr Pratt had no further concerns with it. I find it totally unacceptable to be presented with a couple of amendments with this kind of notice. It is an appalling state of affairs and at this stage of the game, unless the heavens open up, I feel disinclined to support them.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Bill agreed to in principle.
Detail stage
Bill, by leave, taken as a whole.
MR PRATT (Brindabella) (11.47): I seek leave to move amendments Nos 1 to 3 circulated in my name together.
Leave granted.
MR PRATT: I move amendments Nos 1 to 3 circulated in my name [see schedule 1 at page 4337].
My first amendment seeks to amend section 75 (1) (b), public consultation for strategic bushfire management plan, to read:
inviting interested people to give written comments about the draft plan to the authority at a stated address during a stated period ending at least 28 days after the end of the period mentioned in paragraph (a)
I think this is self-explanatory. It is designed to make more clear what the obligation is when a bushfire operational plan is submitted for consultation. My next amendment includes substituting the following in section 78 (2):
The person must give the authority a draft bushfire operational plan for the area in accordance with the strategic bushfire management plan by no later than 1 June of the year required for submission or review.
The aim of this amendment is to ensure that all land managers, who under the act have a responsibility for owning and managing a piece of land, are required to submit a bushfire operational plan. Not only that; they are required to submit the draft bushfire operational plan by 1 June of the year that that plan is being submitted or, if it is in the second year of the life of that plan, the year of review.
The aim of this amendment is to ensure not only that there is compliance by all land managers but also that the minister and the ESA are given sufficient time to review all bushfire operational plans and, if the authority is not happy with the calibre of those plans, to send them back to land managers and allow land managers to amend those plans and resubmit them to the authority in time to have them actioned before the bushfire season starts. This amendment also seeks to substitute the following in section 78 (3):
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