Page 6070 - Week 14 - Thursday, 9 December 2010

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Question so resolved in the affirmative.

Bill agreed to in principle.

Detail stage

Bill, by leave, taken as a whole.

MR RATTENBURY (Molonglo) (11.35): I move amendment No 1 circulated in my name [see schedule 1 at page 6172].

As I alluded to in my earlier speech, this is a very simple amendment which proposes to change the proposed new section 8(2), the period for which the Assembly has the potential to disallow a change made by the commonwealth government from two months to three months. As I touched on in my earlier speech, this is simply to ensure that the Assembly does sit within the time frame, because there are periods, not common, where we do not sit for two months and we want to have an opportunity to potentially sit if we felt the need arose.

It is, as I say, a very simple one and largely a procedural one. I understand the government will be supporting this amendment and I welcome that support for what is simply a constructive amendment

MR CORBELL (Molonglo—Attorney-General, Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Water, Minister for Energy and Minister for Police and Emergency Services) (11.36): This amendment proposes an amendment to schedule 1, amendment 1.6 to proposed new section 8(2), to extend the time of notification of regulation applying modification that is text of the Australian consumer law from two months to three months. Section 8 deals with changes made by the commonwealth to the Australian consumer law text that is being adopted in the ACT. This section allows the territory to dis-apply any change but the dis-applying regulation must be notified within two months.

As Mr Rattenbury has indicated, he is proposing to extend the period to three months, having regard to the fact that there may be circumstances where changes are made and members wish to dis-apply as the Assembly will not sit over a two-month period. It is a sensible amendment. The government does not object to it and will be supporting the amendment.

MRS DUNNE (Ginninderra) (11.37): This is a sensible amendment and the Canberra Liberals are happy to support it. It does address an issue which has arisen on a number of occasions with template legislation which is adopted in another parliament. The issues relating to disallowance are often very difficult indeed. As the chairman of the scrutiny of bills committee, I know this is something that we have wrestled with and have communicated with our colleagues in other committees on at least one occasion with one piece of template legislation where problems had arisen. I commend the Greens for their amendment.

Amendment agreed to.


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