Page 4713 - Week 15 - Thursday, 21 November 1991
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MR COLLAERY (8.05): I want the record to show that the Alliance Cabinet had discussed the need to make provision for the Administrative Appeals Tribunal sustenance for the implementation of this Act. My documentation, which I have retained from that period - I will stick to convention and not produce it - reveals that we left for the incoming Government a well-prepared analysis of the costs required to augment the Administrative Appeals Tribunal and to commence the proper appeal and review processes of this package of laws. That, I am sure, was one costing that would have survived the red pen of our then Treasurer.
It must be stressed that this Follett Government, in their desire to allegedly balance their allegedly balanced budget, simply shaved that allocation of funds and have now left the people of the Territory in a situation where there is not going to be an effective appellate structure in this Territory until well after 2 April 1992. The Rally wants to point out that there is an Interim Planning Act amendment proposed that will provide - - -
Mr Moore: It is a good amendment too.
MR COLLAERY: Yes, as Mr Moore says, it is a good amendment. That will provide better access by the community to express their views on draft variations to the plan. So, in any event, the Treasurer may well have to use her advance in this situation. It does not really make that much sense that the time sought by the Government is to enable it to tune up the Administrative Appeals Tribunal structure.
The real reason why the Minister wants further time clearly is so that he can get the machinery of this Bill operational. In other words, assuming that this Bill is passed in the next week or two, he wants four months to get the advisory committees appointed under the Act, to get the Chief Planner appointed and to get certain structures going. But the fact is that the Act is not operable effectively until the Territory Plan is down. Because consultation closes on 20 March, there is a great question in my mind as to the utility of what we are all about tonight. Why are we rushing this legislation through tonight, in this fashion, and in any subsequent days that will follow?
The only conclusion that we can draw is that this Government wants to be seen to have some runs on the board. They are anxious to get the passage of this legislation for political purposes. It is very clear to us in the Rally, given the very long gestation period of this type of legislation, going back to 1987, that the Labor Party has chosen, in its typical, superficial, opportunistic way, to press this Bill through in the next few days without there having been adequate time for us to consider a number of amendments stemming from a decision by the Liberal Party to see earlier implementation of the Bill.
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