Page 5436 - Week 15 - Tuesday, 8 December 2009

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election. The people of the ACT are fed up with this arrogant government, unwilling to consult on important government policy. The people of the ACT are fed up with an arrogant government that will not listen to them. The people of the ACT are fed up with an arrogant government that works out its own agenda of wasting money and opportunities.

It seems that this government’s arrogance and its refusal to listen or consult with the people of Canberra continue. Consequently we will not support government policy being introduced in omnibus legislation. We, the Canberra Liberals, will not support government policy being foisted on an industry without proper processes of consultation. We will not support government policy coming forward without first having considered the options and the alternatives. And we will not support the amendment of the Security Industry Act and its regulations. We will not support this bill if our amendments to the Security Industry Act and regulations are not successful.

MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Mr Hargreaves): The question is that the bill be agreed to in principle. Mr Rattenbury.

MR RATTENBURY (Molonglo) (11.53): I thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker, and welcome you to the chair for the first time, today, at least in the term of this Assembly.

MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER: It is nice to be here again. I love it.

MR RATTENBURY: The Greens will be supporting this bill today, but I will flag now, and come back to discuss this later, that we will also be supporting the amendments flagged by Mrs Dunne.

This bill makes changes that are required to fully implement the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal. When ACAT commenced in February of this year, a range of transitional provisions were put in place for one year. These provisions are due to expire in February 2010 and need to be continued more formally in legislation.

Some of the amendments have also arisen out of experience of how the ACAT is operating. The Greens support that responsive style of legislating where improvements are made through learning from experience. A good example of that responsive style of legislating is the changes to the Magistrates Court Act. The amendments clarify that a lawyer acting for a client in the initial stages of a civil matter can continue to act for that client in the concluding stages of the matter once it has moved to the Magistrates Court. This is a sensible outcome for those people before the courts. Being continuously represented by the same lawyer is better for the client than being forced to change lawyers just because the matter has changed courts.

There is a range of other amendments made to consolidate the existing transitional provisions in legislation. These are required for the continued operation of ACAT. Another area that the bill addresses is the transfer of trustee company regulations from the states and territories to the commonwealth following the decision of the Council of Australian Governments. National regulation of trustee companies makes good sense, and the Greens support the intent and the staggered implementation that this bill achieves.


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