Page 567 - Week 02 - Thursday, 16 February 2017
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to amend minor technical and typographical errors, to clarify uncertainties, to remove redundancies, and to address minor policy challenges”.
I contrast that with some words that were spoken in this place as recently as Tuesday. The Attorney-General, Mr Ramsay, spoke about, I think it was, a SLAB. Mr Ramsay on Tuesday referred to technical and insignificant concepts. He talked about the technical matters that were contained in that amendment bill. He said, and I quote to the best of my ability from the draft Hansard—so there may have been some changes—and based on my memory, “If the changes were technical and insignificant, I would have sent back the brief when it first arrived to say that there is no point spending resources in making technical changes that have no impact on people’s lives.” That is a quite interesting difference from what Mr Barr said back in 2011 in respect of the use of these omnibus bills, which I would say is the understanding that we in the opposition work on as the basis for omnibus bills.
Mr Ramsay said that the bill and the amendments we debated on Tuesday are, indeed, technical; they are also significant. So you can see there the discrepancy and the ease with which a misunderstanding may arise, Madam Speaker. On the one hand, we have many people working on the understanding that these omnibus bills are for minor, technical and non-controversial changes. The Attorney-General is working on the premise that they are significant.
I am a bit confused by the depth of misunderstanding as to the use of these omnibus bills. With that in mind—in fact, before the statements from the Attorney-General on Tuesday—I put forward a motion suggesting that the administration and procedure committee look at the question of these omnibus bills and try to provide some guiding principles as far as can be done, because I know it is perhaps a subjective issue. I asked that the committee put forward some guiding principles so that we are all working to the same understanding, we are all singing from the same hymn sheet, if you like. That may appeal to Mr Ramsay’s understanding of the issue.
What I would like to see is that we all understand what the purpose of these omnibus bills is. That is why I put forward the motion today suggesting that the admin and procedure committee look at omnibus bills and try to provide some guidance to members. I commend the motion to the Assembly.
MR GENTLEMAN (Brindabella—Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Minister for Planning and Land Management and Minister for Urban Renewal) (10.39): I thank Ms Lawder for bringing forward the motion this morning. I have circulated an amendment to the motion. I move the amendment circulated in my name:
Omit all words after “That this Assembly”, substitute:
“(1) notes that:
(a) omnibus amendment bills are a useful tool to make policy, technical and editorial amendments to various pieces of legislation; and
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