Page 1711 - Week 06 - Thursday, 13 August 1992
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MR HUMPHRIES: No; we can see through your little game. We know what you are after. Madam Speaker, this provision is nonsense. If you want to ban circus animals performing, fine, ban them; but do not make it inconvenient or impossible for circuses that might want to come here and respect the laws of the Territory to retain the animals they already have. That is just sheer pig-headedness.
MR STEVENSON (5.59): Madam Speaker, this clause, I believe, hands a huge power over to the authority. Should we allow an authority to determine what are reasonable grounds? The definition of reasonable grounds in someone's mind is open to debate. As we have seen, reasonable grounds have been presented by some members opposite, particularly the Minister today, and I am sure that on reasonable grounds he thought "promote" meant something other than it did. So "reasonable grounds" in the mind of the authority is a huge power to grant.
We should spell out the provisions of the Bill. We should spell out the prohibitions and how various industries that have animals should operate. It should not be left to somebody's opinion to determine that no circuses will come to Canberra or operate in Canberra, simply because they believe it to be appropriate. I wonder what the Minister will say when the point is raised. Why should the authority have power outside this legislation? I do not mean that they should not be given power under the legislation, but why should the authority have power outside the legislation to do this?
Mr Berry: Because the law says it. You can either oppose it or support it.
MR STEVENSON: Mr Berry says, "Because the law says it". That is why I wonder about the question. I grant that the law says that the authority has the power.
Mr Berry: Where is your amendment?
MR STEVENSON: I do not have one at the moment; but, if other members, or members of the Liberal Party, are concerned about the power this has, I will be happy to try to write one.
Mr Lamont: He sat down today to read it for the first time.
MR STEVENSON: Mr Lamont says that I sat there today to read it. That is not the case. It is such an involved Bill. The thing is how many pages long?
MADAM SPEAKER: Mr Stevenson, we are discussing amendments 6 and 7 to clause 55. Please discuss that.
MR STEVENSON: Thank you, Madam Speaker. It is 53 pages long. I think it is reasonable to mention that I have looked at it before, but it requires an immense amount of time and debate on this floor. That is why I wondered what the answer from the Minister would be as to why we should hand over to the authority the power basically to ban any circus. It is similar to the point I raised a moment ago. That should be something we decide in this Assembly. I am interested in what other members think about that. It is one thing to have legislation; it is another thing to give open-ended power to outside authorities.
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