Page 2127 - Week 10 - Thursday, 26 October 1989
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The point that I do wish to make is that Mr Collaery has agreed with me that issues like this are worthy of consideration by the Bills committee. The Bills committee may come forward with general principles and it would probably be most appropriate if general principles were agreed upon in relation to things like regulation making power under the legislation that comes before this Assembly.
I would put into that same category the question of reporting - statutory reporting - under the legislation or under any piece of legislation. So there may be some circumstances in which a very short period of statutory reporting is required, whereas it might be decided that in general terms a standard level of statutory reporting should be adopted, so that everyone knows where we stand on the issue.
What I would be concerned about is that we take up the points raised by the Chief Minister and let this go through as it is and refer to the Bills committee this question of statutory reporting and whether there is a need for different levels of statutory reporting in different pieces of legislation.
Now, I would like to refer specifically to something that the Chief Minister has referred to. The situation is protected. The time frame is different. If the time frame is the issue that we are concerned about, then I think there is some merit in reviewing that, but in a different context from the one we are talking about here. The Interpretation Act, which was amended in 1986 to insert section 30A, does say, and the Chief Minister referred to it, in subsection (2):
Where an Ordinance requires a person to furnish a periodic report to a Minister but does not specify a period within which the report is to be so furnished, that person shall furnish the report to the Minister as soon as practicable after the end of the particular period to which the report relates -
So there is a general requirement that it be as soon as practicable, but -
in any event, within 6 months after the end of that particular period.
So, there is a statutory requirement that it be brought forward as soon as practicable and, in any event, within six months. Subsection (3) deals with the period requirement for the Minister to table it in the chamber and it specifies:
Where an Ordinance requires a person to furnish a periodic report to a Minister for presentation to the Parliament but does not specify a period
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