Page 2545 - Week 07 - Thursday, 18 June 2009
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Members should note that the act already restricts entry to parts of vehicles that are used solely for residential purposes, such as caravans.
As I mentioned on tabling the bill, the outbreak of equine influenza in 2007 also highlighted the need to exchange information on the movement of animals across state borders and the owners of possibly infected animals. As members would be aware, the use and dissemination of personal information is regulated by the commonwealth Privacy Act.
I consider the finetuning contained within this bill necessary in order to accommodate forecasted change within interstate and international developments in Australia. Indeed, the ACT has managed to stay relatively free from animal diseases by effectively implementing our animal disease protocols. Consequently, productivity and trade competitiveness in our livestock and livestock products have been bolstered. I believe this bill will strengthen our ability to contain disease incursions and clarify the extent of intent of existing provisions. I support the concept of clarifying the scope of the act so that it clearly includes not only protection of production animals but all animals, particularly our recreational animals.
In conclusion, I do thank members for the contributions they have made to the debate and discussion on this bill and, indeed, I acknowledge the significant contribution made to the amendments by the legal affairs committee reflected in the scrutiny of bills report which, as I mentioned earlier, has been accepted in its entirety.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Bill agreed to in principle.
Leave granted to dispense with the detail stage.
Bill agreed to.
Duties Amendment Bill 2009
Debate resumed from 7 May 2009, on motion by Ms Gallagher:
That this bill be agreed to in principle.
MR SMYTH (Brindabella) (10.36): Mr Speaker, the opposition will be supporting this bill. I would like to thank the Treasurer and her office for arranging a most useful briefing on the bill at short notice.
The bill comprises three measures. The first matter is correcting an oversight in legislation that was enacted in 2006. When the ACT government acted to remove most of the indirect taxes that were identified in the 1999 intergovernmental agreement, it overlooked retaining an exemption for certain conveyancing transactions. This is a perfect instance of the complexity of modern legislation, particularly tax legislation—that consequences can often be overlooked. It is what I guess we call unintended consequences.
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