Page 582 - Week 02 - Thursday, 21 February 1991
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In regard to a 10-day cooling-off period, one could well agree with 48 hours. When you say 10 days, you are really saying to the people within the business, "You cannot supply the product". You are saying to representatives that they are not going to get paid, and that all the people down the line are not going to receive any money.
I made the point before about working in the industry and having an understanding of it and training dozens of people in the area to have high standards and not to misrepresent goods - training them in ethics, the level of which is not commonly known in some other places I could mention. I would be happy for anybody to look at the training manual I have written in this area, to see the ethical standard it requires of representatives. I have not seen such a thing in other areas. However, in the door-to-door trading area it was available.
We are saying that people in Canberra, more so, perhaps, than the rest of Australia, who are considered to be fairly intelligent - and this has been mooted by various people in this Assembly and in the papers - have not the capacity to look at what is being presented to them and to align that to earlier knowledge and experience and then make a decision. We are saying that they have not that capacity; that they must be able to change their mind.
As I said, I would not disagree with two days. When you put it off for 10 days you prevent the normal operation of door-to-door trading businesses. If you do that, you will absolutely guarantee 100 per cent that they will not work in the area. I have trained dozens and dozens of people in the area. You can take it from me, or take it from someone else who knows about it, that people will not work in the area if they are not going to be paid, because these people usually work only on commission. There is great front required to work as a commission-only specialty door-to-door salesman - perhaps called canvassing. It is a very difficult thing to do.
MR COLLAERY (Attorney-General) (12.47), in reply: Mr Speaker, when Mr Stevenson is back selling door-to-door, as I sincerely hope he is soon, there will be a range of controls that represent a modest level of control. It has been adopted in South Australia, Western Australia, Queensland, and in Tasmania. There is a Bill before the Northern Territory Assembly. The other two States are bringing it forward. It is non-controversial legislation, although Mr Stevenson seeks to make it such.
I wish to thank Mr Connolly for his eloquent comments in support of the Bill. I wish to record the courtesy Mr Moore offered in not delaying proceedings. I am well aware that he supports the legislation.
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