Page 1878 - Week 06 - Thursday, 2 May 1991
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The amendments do include changes to the law, but these are of a minor nature. They include provisions to widen the power to consolidate disputes, including disputes not all of which are being heard by the same arbitrator, and provisions to extend the circumstances in which a party may be represented by someone else in the hearing of a dispute. They also expand current provisions for settlement of disputes by means other than arbitration. Mediation and conciliation are dealt with specifically. In line with recognition that disputes may be settled without arbitration, the Bill allows for interest to be awarded on settlement payments before a formal award arising from an arbitration hearing.
This legislation will give greater certainty to commercial relationships which run across State and Territory borders. The move to uniform commercial arbitration laws is part of a more general trend towards the use of alternative dispute resolution rather than the adversarial approach in litigation in the courts. I observe that there is now an active ACT chapter of the Institute of Arbitrators, Australia. I welcome this and hope that the ACT can provide a suitable environment for high quality arbitration services. Indeed, the Government sees this legislation as further facilitation of proposals to provide here, in the Australian Capital Territory, a wider venue for arbitration, perhaps even at an international level.
There are no financial considerations involved in this proposed amendment. Mr Speaker, I now present the explanatory memorandum for the Bill.
Debate (on motion by Mr Connolly) adjourned.
FILM CLASSIFICATION (AMENDMENT) BILL 1991
MR COLLAERY (Attorney-General) (10.41): Mr Speaker, I present the Film Classification (Amendment) Bill 1991. I move:
That this Bill be agreed to in principle.
The purpose of this Bill is to allow some cultural films with a limited audience to be shown in the ACT without having been classified by the Commonwealth. The films in question are cultural and film society films with a small audience, usually screened by such non-profit groups as the Goethe Institute and, may I add, the Alliance Francaise. The times, dates and locations of screening are approved by the Commonwealth Office of Film and Literature Classification and the audience numbers are prescribed.
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