Page 4600 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 27 November 2019

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I believe the Human Rights (Workers Rights) Amendment Bill 2019 is a wonderful piece of work; however, there can never be too much scrutiny of any bill that is brought into this Assembly. Therefore, I am referring the Human Rights (Workers Rights) Amendment Bill 2019 to the justice and community safety committee, with a reporting date of the first sitting day in 2020.

MRS JONES (Murrumbidgee) (10.37): In relation to the reporting date, I ask that some flexibility be applied, given that the JACS committee has an ongoing inquiry. I understand that there will be a desire to get this legislation through the chamber, and I do not have any problem with that, but as the chair of the JACS committee, I ask that there be some flexibility on the date, for example, by the end of February or something like that.

MADAM SPEAKER: That would need an amendment to the motion.

MRS JONES: Could we come back to this at the end of the next item of business?

MADAM SPEAKER: If someone moves to adjourn this question, we can possibly come back to it.

Debate (on motion by Mr Coe) adjourned to a later hour.

Territory rights

MS CHEYNE (Ginninderra) (10.38): I move:

That the Assembly:

(1) recognises that:

(a) the Commonwealth Government conferred self-government on the Australian Capital Territory in 1988; and

(b) after more than 30 years of self-government, the ACT has a:

(i) robust and established parliament;

(ii) strong jurisdictional identity; and

(iii) community which has an expectation that elected, local representatives should and will be able to decide on issues that matter to it;

(2) notes that while section 122 of the Constitution empowers the Commonwealth to make laws for the ACT and Northern Territory on any subject:

(a) it rarely exercises this power; but

(b) where it has exercised this power it has been on social issues relating to human rights where the Federal Parliament’s view has been out of step with ACT citizens’ views;

(3) notes with disappointment the continued existence of subsections 23(1A) and (1B) in the Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act 1988 (Cwlth)


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