Page 5511 - Week 17 - Wednesday, 4 December 1991
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
Declaration of Urgency
MR BERRY (Deputy Chief Minister): In accordance with standing order 192, I declare that the Liquor (Amendment) Bill (No. 3) 1991 is an urgent Bill.
Question put:
That this Bill be declared an urgent Bill.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Allotment of Time
Motion (by Mr Berry) agreed to:
That the following times be allocated for consideration of the Bill:
(a) for the agreement in principle stage - until 12.50 pm this day;
(b) for the remaining stages - until 1 pm this day.
Agreement-in-Principle Stage
MR STEFANIAK (12.36): I really hope that we do not need to go past my speech on this matter, because, as Mr Connolly said in paragraph 4 of his written speech, it certainly was not the intention of the proponent, the Liberal Party - nor, I think, of anyone else who supported my Bill - to in any way affect the operation of the very splendid BYO restaurants in our city. In fact, I have talked with Mr Connolly since the matter came to his attention - which was after the Bill was passed, because Mr Connolly and I over several months went through my draft Bill, as did other members - and this appears to have been something that escaped all the lawyers present, including, perhaps, even the drafters themselves.
Having checked it with the learned counsel in the office of the Parliamentary Counsel, David Hunt, QC, he advised me that, whilst what we passed last week almost certainly is okay, there is a possibility that BYO restaurants would be affected. He advised me that, to make the law absolutely perfect so that there could be no possible anomaly whatsoever, an amendment along these lines was sensible.
Accordingly, I indicated to Mr Connolly, and persons in the media who contacted me, that I, as the proponent of the Act, had no problems at all with this amending Bill. I was aware of the drafting of it and what was being put in. I have seen the words in the Bill that has been circulated.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .