Page 3396 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 24 November 1992

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Mr Cornwell made the point and made it well: You simply cannot expect any normal individual who thinks logically to understand this. If you have been trained in legal gobbledegook for a decade, I understand that you could probably work out fairly readily what these things mean, although we will never have any proof of that. How would you know? You cannot tell by listening to them and you usually cannot tell by the determinations.

Mr Kaine: You can only tell after lengthy court proceedings.

MR STEVENSON: How do you tell? Do you tell by who won and who lost?

Mr Cornwell: That is right, and when you get the bill.

MR STEVENSON: I think we all know who loses there and who does not. Simply put, nothing better illustrates the absolute absurdity of legislation than when it is written so that you cannot understand it. I know that that is humorous, but what about the person who is trying to work out what subclauses 50(1) and (2) mean? Do they have to go along to a solicitor and have him try to work out what it means? Is that justice? Is that to do with fair trading? I do not think so.

Question put:

That the amendments (Mr Stevenson's) be agreed to.

The Assembly voted -

AYES, 1   NOES, 13 

Mr Stevenson Mr Berry
 Mr Connolly
 Mr Cornwell
 Mr De Domenico
 Ms Ellis
 Ms Follett
 Mrs Grassby
 Mr Humphries
 Mr Kaine
 Mr Lamont
 Ms McRae
 Mr Moore
 Mr Wood

Question so resolved in the negative.

MR CONNOLLY (Attorney-General, Minister for Housing and Community Services and Minister for Urban Services) (10.26), by leave: I move:

Page 33, subclause (1), line 24, omit "(whether before or after the commencement of this subsection)".

Page 33, subclause (2), line 35, omit "(whether before or after the commencement of this subsection)".

Page 34, subclause (3), line 6, omit "(whether before or after the commencement of this subsection)".


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