Page 660 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 28 March 2006

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Leave granted.

MR STANHOPE: I move amendments Nos 1 to 33 together [see schedule 1 at page 718]. I table a supplementary explanatory statement to the amendments.

Amendments agreed to.

MR STANHOPE (Ginninderra—Chief Minister, Attorney-General, Minister for the Environment and Minister for Arts, Heritage and Indigenous Affairs, and Acting Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development and Business, Minister for Tourism, Minister for Sport and Recreation, and Minister for Racing and Gaming) (11.31): Members will be aware that this bill establishes an appropriate legislative platform under which motor sport and dedicated motor sport facilities can be managed. The bill introduces a licensing system for motor vehicle racing in the ACT. It creates the necessary decision structure surrounding motor sport licensing and provides compliance and regulation.

During discussions with officials and members, particularly Dr Foskey’s office, with respect to both the bill generally and the scrutiny of bills report, it emerged that there were two areas in which the existing bill might be improved. I take the opportunity now simply to acknowledge that assistance and the basis for which the amendments which the Assembly has just agreed to were developed and moved. I thank members of the Assembly for their support for those amendments which came very much out of the fruits of the scrutiny of bills investigation of the bill and discussions with members and their staff members. I acknowledge the role of Mr Stefaniak and Dr Foskey in that process and thank them for their assistance and for their support.

The amendments amend clauses 7 and 9 of the bill. There were several consequential amendments to that. The discretions or decisions exercised under those clauses, while necessarily broad, are better exercised at a level commensurate with the breadth of discretion. And that is by the minister rather than the chief executive. The government decided, on that basis, to elevate the exercise of power under the discretions in those clauses to the responsible minister. A number of amendments followed from that. Similarly, the amendments remove any doubt with respect to the interaction between that clause and the regulation in section 38 of the act with respect to buildings and other structures, by removing the requirement for prescribing matter in the regulations.

I again thank members for their consideration of the bill, their assistance on the amendments which were eventually decided upon and their support for the bill.

Proposed new clause 33A.

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