Page 809 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 13 March 1991
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it is just not good enough for us to wait. This was a problem that, as I say, I called attention to in my first speech in this place. I said then that trucks were crossing the border and offering goods beyond their use-by date for sale in the ACT, and that consumers in this Territory deserved a better deal. That is still the case. Nothing has happened from the government side to address that problem and the Opposition has once again, I would submit, shown that it is more effective in providing real protection to the consumers of this Territory than is the Government.
This legislation deserves support from all members of the house, unless those members of the house are prepared to allow Canberra consumers to be offered products that are considered unfit to be offered to consumers in other parts of Australia. If the Government feels that we may be appropriately used as a dumping ground, the Government can answer to the people of Canberra.
We suggest that this is very progressive legislation and that it provides the consumers of the ACT with a form of protection which means that they are not being exploited. It would be an effective protection until such time as a more modern uniform national standard for food use-by dates is arrived at through the, as I say, often long and tortuous processes of interstate consultation. It is not good enough to say to the people of the ACT, "Something might happen. Wait until later this year or next year or the year after". We have been too long a dumping ground, too long an island without adequate protection, and the Government ought to take this opportunity, particularly in this week when it is focusing attention on consumer affairs, to plug this gap and to provide protection for the citizens of Canberra, to ensure that the food that is offered for sale in this Territory is offered for sale within its durable life and that we are not offered sometimes discounted but sometimes full price out-of-date goods. I am sure that no consumer wants that, and all citizens would support this legislation. I commend the Bill to the house.
Debate (on motion by Mr Humphries) adjourned.
POSTPONEMENT OF ORDER OF THE DAY
MR CONNOLLY (10.40): Mr Speaker, I move:
That order of the day, No. 1, private Members' business, be postponed until the next sitting.
Mr Speaker, the reason for this is that, when the Subordinate Laws (Amendment) Bill was introduced in the last sitting period, I had some discussions with the Attorney-General and with some law officers. The law officers had some additional suggestions for this
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