Page 1249 - Week 04 - Thursday, 21 April 1994
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ELECTORAL (AMENDMENT)
(CONSEQUENTIAL PROVISIONS) BILL 1993
Debate resumed from 16 December 1993, on motion by Ms Follett:
That this Bill be agreed to in principle.
MR HUMPHRIES (7.33): I will speak relatively briefly.
Mr Moore: It is a good opportunity. Go for it, Gary.
MR HUMPHRIES: Yes, it is a good opportunity. This Bill is the Bill which provides for the transitional arrangements. Members reading the Bill which we have just passed might have been forgiven for believing that we were setting up an arrangement which would affect us in this Assembly. That is not the case. For example, if one of us were to fall from a great height - I mean literally rather than figuratively, as Mr Berry has done - the effect would not be that we would have a countback of our own votes to determine who would replace us. The existing arrangements continue, and that is very appropriate.
In wrapping up the debate generally about this whole subject, there is one issue in particular that I would like to clarify, and that is the scheme of arrangement that the Government foresees for putting in place the electoral education process that the community of the ACT will need very soon, or at least very comprehensively before the next election.
Mr Berry: You could have given them an easier system and then it would not have been necessary.
MR HUMPHRIES: This is a very good system, Mr Berry. There are a few things we could improve, but basically it is a very good system. In particular, I would like to ask whether the Chief Minister can indicate to the Assembly what commencement timeframe she expects for this Bill? Does she see it being commenced in stages or relatively quickly? It is a fairly important issue and I hope that she can give me some guidance about that subject.
Also, in wrapping up the debate, I want to thank Parliamentary Counsel, who played an enormously valuable role in preparing, on this side of the chamber, and I am sure on that side of the chamber as well, a very large number of amendments at short notice and in difficult circumstances. I understand that the Office of Parliamentary Counsel was tied up pretty comprehensively with these issues for quite some time. The level of professionalism and the service we were offered were very high. I hope that that will be conveyed to those officers. I also thank the people who have offered advice to the Opposition, particularly members of the Hare-Clark Campaign Committee, and Bogey Musidlak in particular from that group.
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