Page 2816 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 13 August 2013

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MR HANSON: Absolutely. What he is saying—and I respond to the interjection—is that—

MADAM SPEAKER: You will address the chair, Mr Hanson.

MR HANSON: Madam Speaker, my apologies; I will address the chair. The point is that the standing order says that there are a number of ways that the committee chair can interpret that standing order in the consideration of the report, and the way that I considered the report was the same way that the report has been considered by all of the previous chairs of this Assembly. So there is an established convention in this place as to how those reports are considered, and I followed that protocol that was established by the estimates committee. Once we started the process, they realised they did not like it and tried to cause consternation.

It is just the political noise that surrounds this debate. It is unfortunate that the Labor members of the committee sought to be so partisan in the debate. It is disappointing that they have cast aspersions on the chairing of the committee, because, by doing so, they have actually cast aspersions on, essentially, every other previous estimates chair for having followed the same process.

In summary, with regard to the government’s response—and we will go through it line by line—based on what the Treasurer said and looking at the response to recommendations, it is disappointing. It is clear that the government have chosen to, essentially, ignore the committee’s report. That is disappointing. It is perhaps not surprising, and it probably shows this government’s disregard for Assembly processes. It would seem that the government are more interested in reading the more than 500 recommendations from their Labor mates on the committee that simply congratulated them.

I look forward to the debate, but what we are seeing here is a very partisan approach unfolding from both the Labor committee members and the government, and that is to the detriment of the people of the ACT.

Debate (on motion by Mr Smyth) adjourned.

Construction and Energy Efficiency Legislation Amendment Bill 2013

Debate resumed from 6 June 2013, on motion by Mr Corbell:

That this bill be agreed to in principle.

MR COE (Ginninderra) (10.21): The Construction and Energy Efficiency Legislation Amendment Bill amends a number of pieces of legislation that apply to the construction industry. The opposition will be supporting this bill. However, we do have very serious concerns about how it will be implemented. Many of the amendments in this bill are necessary because the certification process in the ACT is poorly managed.


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