Page 1608 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 7 May 2013
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is finalised it must take into account any comments received during the consultation period. The report forms part of the briefing documents provided to the relevant commonwealth minister for endorsement of the policy, plan or program, and can be incorporated into those policies, plans or programs.
Now let us turn to the second important amendment made by this bill. As I indicated during presentation, the bill amends section 69(4) of the Building Act 2004. Section 69 covers certificates of occupancy for building work issued by the Construction Occupations Registrar. If building work has been completed, the owner of a parcel of land may apply to the registrar for a certificate to state that the work has been completed in accordance with the prescribed requirements under the Building Act and is fit for occupation and use.
Section 69(4) is an evidentiary provision which covers certificates issued under other acts. It provides that certificates issued under some other acts are sufficient in and of themselves to satisfy prescribed requirements for building work. For example, a certificate under the Water and Sewerage Act 2000 can be relied upon as evidence that plumbing, sewerage and drainage work has been carried out in accordance with the prescribed requirements. A similar provision applies to certificates issued under the Electricity Safety Act 1971.
The minor policy amendment gives a similar status to certificates under the Gas Safety Act 2000. The amendment provides that a certificate under the Gas Safety Act is evidence of the fact that the gas fitting work carried out in building work complies with the prescribed requirements. This means that the Construction Occupations Registrar can rely on a Gas Safety Act certificate when issuing a certificate of occupancy for building work.
This clause does not impose a new administrative burden. The Gas Safety Act certification processes are already in place. The Gas Safety Act provides that on completion of gas fitting work the gas fitter must attach a compliance indicator to the piping system, and give a certificate of compliance to the owner or occupier of the premises. The gas fitter must also give a copy of this certificate to the Planning and Land Authority.
This amendment makes the gas clearance procedures consistent with those for electrical, plumbing, sewerage and drainage work. Again, this is an amendment that makes good, practical sense.
As I said during the presentation, this bill also keeps the statute book up to date by repealing some redundant legislation. The Electricity (Greenhouse Gas Emissions) Act 2004 and Electricity (Greenhouse Gas Emissions) Regulation 2004 supported the ACT greenhouse gas abatement scheme. This scheme ended on 1 July 2012 with the commencement of a national price on carbon in the Australian government’s Clean Energy Act 2011. The bill repeals this legislation, which is no longer required.
It is worth observing, of course, that the Electricity (Greenhouse Gas Emissions) Regulation 2004 and the Electricity (Greenhouse Gas Emissions) Regulation 2004 have been a very effective mechanism for reducing the territory’s greenhouse gas
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