Page 4785 - Week 11 - Thursday, 20 October 2011

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


an unopposed resolution for setting general funds contributions and it has proposed more streamlined processes and more comprehensive information requirements for the unit title certificates, colloquially known under the present legislation as section 75 certificates.

I note that the attorney’s response to the institute addresses many of these issues. It outlines how current law, or the framing of the bill, allows some of them to be satisfied, but declines to amend the provisions of the bill.

As I said earlier, I have set out issues raised by the Strata Managers Institute and the Owners Corporation Network as markers for future consideration. I think the issues that have been raised are worthy of further consideration and that we should keep these in mind as this piece of legislation is bedded down. As we know, legislation is never perfect and there are suggestions which I believe could be worthy of further consideration.

A private individual unit owner also wrote to the Attorney-General and sent me a copy of his correspondence, and I thank the attorney for providing me with a copy of his response to that person. The individual raised a series of concerns about proxies, and I note matters concerning proxies were also raised by the Owners Corporation Network. At this stage I just note these concerns for future reference as something that we in the Canberra Liberals will be looking at and keeping an eye on.

Another individual, the chair of a small units plan owners corporation, has also written. His concern is about who should pay the insurance excess for insurance claims; should it be the owners corporation or the individual unit owner making the claim? There are valid reasons advanced for making this a matter for the unit owners in general meeting. This is another matter that warrants further consideration.

This bill is a big step forward for this government. It shows what can be achieved through a genuine consultative process that engages stakeholders. It should have been done in the first place in 2008 instead of rushing through confusing legislation that drew the ire of the community, professionals operating in the industry and members of this place.

We will support this bill, but I ask the attorney to take on board and to fully review the matters that I have outlined above on behalf of the unit titles sector of our community.

MR RATTENBURY (Molonglo) (4.47): The Greens will be supporting this bill today. A review into the operation of the Unit Titles Act commenced in 2008, and the product of that review is the bill today. I am particularly pleased to see that. I recall when I was first elected that I picked up the issue that there was a Unit Titles Bill hanging around that needed to be passed in 2009. We had reservations at the time, and I remember having many long conversations with what was then the department about those and the nascent Owners Corporation Network at the time.

There were some real concerns at that point. One of the things I asked the attorney was that we actually set in place a review process to review the operation of the new


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