Page 3739 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 24 August 2011
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Question so resolved in the affirmative.
Bill agreed to in principle.
Detail stage
Clause 1 agreed to.
Clause 2.
MS BRESNAN (Brindabella) (12.02): I move amendment No 1 circulated in my name [see schedule 1 at page 3846].
The first amendment I am moving seeks to change the commencement of the legislation to 1 January 2013, a year later than was originally proposed. The minister’s office have advised that ACT Health’s Health Protection Service will need additional resources to implement this legislation and the funds will need to be appropriated through next year’s budget. The amendment I am proposing gives time for that to happen. I note that New South Wales laws are to be enforced on 1 February next year with supermarkets coming in from 1 August. The ACT scheme will come into effect about a year later than New South Wales, thus allowing time for adjustments if required.
Also, ACT Health has advised that the national principles behind the fast food labelling scheme require that states provide industry with 12 months between introduction of legislation and its enforcement. If this bill is passed today, as it will be, there will be 16 months between the bill’s passing and its being enforced.
MS GALLAGHER (Molonglo—Chief Minister, Minister for Health and Minister for Industrial Relations) (12.03): The government will be supporting this amendment. We believe that this delay until 1 January 2013 provides us with a sensible commencement date for the work that has to be done in the lead-up to the implementation of this reform.
MR HANSON (Molonglo) (12.04): The opposition will support this amendment. But if we are not actually commencing until 2013—the delay that both the minister and I have argued for—it does point to the futility of going ahead with this jurisdiction-specific legislation instead of waiting for national consistency. It is ridiculous. I think that the delay that Ms Bresnan is now seeking exemplifies that.
Amendment agreed to.
Clause 2, as amended, agreed to.
Clauses 3 and 4, by leave, taken together and agreed to.
Clause 5.
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