Page 3189 - Week 10 - Thursday, 16 September 1993
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The amendment proposed by the Government in this Bill requires that kick boxing contests need to be sanctioned in writing by the World Kickboxing Association, Australasian Region. This is a most sensible provision and one which I support, requiring a high degree of confidence by an official association before contests can be conducted. I am also delighted that consultation on this matter has occurred with both local organisations known to conduct kick boxing contests and the New South Wales representative of the World Kickboxing Association.
So far so good, Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker. However, I want to lay to rest, once and for all, the unfortunate accusations that the Minister, Mr Berry, has made about the earlier amendments I proposed to the Bill during the 11 May debate in the Assembly. At the time this Bill was introduced on Thursday, 26 August, and again during question time on Tuesday of this week, in response to a question by Mr Stevenson which Mr Cornwell has already referred to, the Minister insinuated that I had come to propose amendments to this Bill by way of the back of an envelope. I did no such thing. I have a copy of the letter I wrote to the Parliamentary Counsel's Office, dated 22 April 1993, seeking the preparation of appropriate amendments, and I wish to read its contents onto the record. It is addressed to Mr David Hunt, Parliamentary Counsel, and says:
Dear David,
I wish to draft an amendment to the Boxing Control Bill 1993 which is currently before the ACT Legislative Assembly.
The Bill before the Assembly bans kickboxing in the ACT. I wish to remove the references which ban kickboxing. If passed these amendments would mean that kickboxing would be allowable in the ACT but would be regulated as it is in New South Wales.
In my reading of the Bill, two deletions are necessary. The first is in Section 3, Interpretation, which mentions kickboxing in the definition of 'boxing'. The words in brackets should be deleted.
Section 20 specifically bans kickboxing and I would want it deleted.
Could you please advise whether there are any other amendments which you feel may be necessary?
Yours sincerely,
I also have a copy of the amendments moved by me on Tuesday, 11 May, which indicate the completion of the task by the Parliamentary Counsel's Office at 2.30 pm on 5 May 1993, almost a week before the debate took place in the Assembly.
I do not wish to criticise the work of the Parliamentary Counsel's Office, which I consider to be of the highest order. I regret the fact that the amendments I moved to the Boxing Control Bill were not adequate to fulfil the task, and I bear responsibility for that as a member of this Assembly. However, it is important for me to set the record straight as to what actually occurred. This Assembly has
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