Page 2506 - Week 08 - Thursday, 19 August 1993
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MR DE DOMENICO (11.03): Madam Speaker, the Liberal Party will not be opposing any of these four Bills, and I will just make a brief comment down the line. We also give notice that we will be supporting the amendment Mr Connolly will be introducing to the Motor Traffic (Amendment) Bill. The Motor Traffic (Amendment) Bill refines fine default procedures for traffic and parking infringement notices - the TINs and PINs. Secondly, it amends the taxi plate auctioning system. Thirdly, it removes sexist language.
The Bill aims to refine fine default procedures for parking and traffic infringements. Instead of going to court, for example, on-the-spot or fine default notices are issued. This takes these minor matters out of the court, and that is something everyone applauds. The amendment proposes suspension rather than cancellation of a driver's licence if fines are unpaid, because of the five-year licence system in the ACT. As to the amending of the taxi plate auctioning system, Mr Connolly will have more to say about that when he makes his comments, and I will leave it to him. Thirdly, the Bill removes sexist language. The Liberal Party has had consultations with the Roads and Transport Branch of Urban Services, and we thank the Minister for allowing his officers to brief the Opposition on the Bills. As I said, we will not be opposing this Bill and we will be supporting Mr Connolly's amendment.
The Magistrates Court (Amendment) Bill makes amendments to the principal Act consequent upon the amendments made to the PIN and TIN schemes by the Motor Traffic (Amendment) Bill. Once again we had consultations with the Law Society, and there is no need for further discussion. We support the Magistrates Court (Amendment) Bill as well.
The Traffic (Amendment) Bill 1993 moves fines dealing with compulsory bicycle helmets into the traffic regulation area and removes sexist language. At present, under section 6D of the Traffic Act 1937, a police officer may issue a traffic infringement notice to a cyclist not wearing a helmet. This Bill removes the isolated traffic infringement penalty under section 6D and places it with all other traffic infringement penalties under the Motor Traffic Regulations. Once again, copies of the Bill were sent to community groups, and the Liberal Party, after consultation, has no problems with that Bill either.
The Motor Traffic (Alcohol and Drugs) (Amendment) Bill removes a penalty relating to TINs and provides that it will be prescribed by the Motor Traffic Regulations, consequent upon the passage of the Motor Traffic (Amendment) Bill. Once again, consultation with the community leads the Liberal Party to say that we will be supporting all the Bills.
MRS GRASSBY (11.06): Parking infringement notice penalty levels are currently found in the Motor Traffic Act 1936. This means that every time a penalty needs to be varied, an amendment to the Act has to be passed by the Assembly. This is time consuming and inefficient. The Motor Traffic (Amendment) Bill 1993 [No. 2] overcomes these problems by amending the Motor Traffic Act 1936 to provide for parking infringement notice penalties to be transferred to the Motor Traffic Regulations. The ACT has around 50 offences which are subject to parking infringement notices and approximately 110,000 notices are issued annually. Having these penalties set by means of regulation will mean that they can be amended more easily and with fewer resources. By moving parking penalties into regulations, arrangements for parking penalties will be similar to the current procedures for traffic infringement notice penalties.
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