Page 5639 - Week 13 - Thursday, 18 November 2010

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video


commission’s mission by ensuring that its powers and functions are easy to understand and beyond dispute. I commend the bill to the Assembly.

Debate (on motion by Mrs Dunne) adjourned to the next sitting.

Justice and Community Safety Legislation Amendment Bill 2010 (No 4)

Mr Corbell, pursuant to notice, presented the bill, its explanatory statement and a Human Rights Act compatibility statement.

Title read by Clerk.

MR CORBELL (Molonglo—Attorney-General, Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Water, Minister for Energy and Minister for Police and Emergency Services) (10.28): I move:

That this bill be agreed to in principle.

The Justice and Community Safety Legislation Amendment Bill 2010 (No 4) contains amendments to improve the operation of legislation administered by the Department of Justice and Community Safety. The bill makes important changes to preserve and improve criminal offences in the Crimes Act 1900 and the Guardianship and Management of Property Act 1991. It will improve procedures that exist under the Human Rights Commissions Act, the Land Titles Act, the Unit Titles Act, the Public Trustee Act and the Legal Profession Act. Finally, this bill will continue the implementation of national law reform projects in the ACT through its amendments to the Personal Properties Securities Act, the Security Industry Act, the Security Industry Regulation and the Unclaimed Money Act.

The amendments do not constitute policy changes. Each amendment has been recommended by agencies in the Justice and Community Safety portfolio based on experience with the existing legislation. Through the day-to-day work of implementing policy and legislation, the agencies in my portfolio have identified areas for improvement.

I will now explain in detail the nature of each amendment and how each amendment improves the operation of an existing program or policy. The bill makes existing restrictions on anabolic steroids permanent in the Crimes Act and removes the corresponding transitional provisions from the Medicines, Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Regulation. This means that the territory’s existing scheme for regulating anabolic steroids will be preserved even after the transitional provisions expire.

An amendment to the Guardianship and Management of Property Act will modify the scope of directors’ liability for certain offences under the act. These amendments are consistent with the uniform principles of directors’ liability agreed to by the Ministerial Council for Corporations. Procedural improvements in this bill were developed based on consultation between different areas of my department and represent a commitment to best practice.


Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video