Page 657 - Week 02 - Thursday, 21 February 1991
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(7) this motion shall cease to have effect on the presentation of the joint report or by 18 April 1991, whichever is the sooner;
(8) the joint report shall be presented to the Assembly no later than 18 April 1991;
(9) if the Assembly is not sitting when the committees have completed their joint inquiry, the committees may send their joint report to the Speaker, or, in the absence of the Speaker, to the Deputy Speaker, who is authorised to give directions for the printing and circulation of the report.
This motion would enable a joint committee to be established, to commence forthwith and to work during the next three weeks. The importance of this is, on my instructions, that the committees will be able to comment jointly on the planning legislation. Certainly, public hearings are likely to be required. It would be an inefficient use of resources to have two separate hearing structures - two separate lines of inquiry by the two separate committees of the Assembly; namely, the Planning Committee, as it is popularly known, and the Conservation, Heritage and Environment Committee.
For this purpose it is proposed to join those committees so that the integrated nature of the planning legislation can be dealt with as a whole. I need not overemphasise the fact that that legislation is most critical. The Canberra public expect that there will be a very attentive dealing with it by the committees of this Assembly. There is a chance that there could be a dislocation, an overlapping, a waste of resources and possibly differences of opinion between committees if they were to meet separately on the matter.
I am reminded that the standing orders prevent a select committee being established in relation to the Bill. I put those as the principal reasons for the motion. No doubt there will be some debate on the matter and I trust that it is enjoyed by all.
MR BERRY (5.45): Of course, I intend to move an amendment to this motion. It has been circulated in my name. I move:
That all words after "that" be omitted and the following substituted:
(1) A select committee be appointed to inquire into and report on the draft planning and land use legislation and related legislation and regulations;
(2) The committee shall report by 10 September 1991;
(3) The committee shall consist of 7 Members;
(4) A majority of Members consists a quorum of the committee;
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