Page 1442 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 11 May 1994
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The reality is that there is a quite booming industry in Canberra with national associations choosing to set themselves up here, choosing the ACT as the domicile for the Federal body. That makes sense, because, after all, most Federal bodies exist to lobby the Federal Government, and the Federal Government tends to spend most of its time here. Anyone who drives through Deakin, particularly if they do not often spend time at Deakin, will see these new bodies sprouting up like mushrooms. There really is a quite thriving industry in the ACT.
Mr Lamont: Because we are such a good government, they are attracted.
MR CONNOLLY: We are the world's best government, indeed. More seriously, a lot of national bodies are choosing to domicile themselves in the ACT, have their legal structure under ACT law and conduct their business in Canberra. As a result of requests from national organisations, we are seeking to make it a little easier for them.
The pigeon fanciers association of Australia may have in each State a federation of the local pigeon fanciers clubs. The Federal body may choose to give New South Wales, which has a lot more pigeon fancier clubs, more votes than the Northern Territory, where there is only one club. If they want to do that, we thought that they should be able to choose to do so. We are not saying that they have to. We are facilitating that, if that is the way the organisation wants to operate.
Far from doing ourselves in, and the ACT - the plucky little jurisdiction - helping the big jurisdictions to gang up on us, what we are really trying to do here is to facilitate the ACT as a place for national organisations to do business in. They may choose to adopt a structure that is not strictly federal in the sense of one vote, one State. With only eight members, one from each State and each Territory, they may choose to give each State and each Territory one vote, or they may choose to break the votes down - and that is what we are seeking to facilitate in order for Canberra to be a good place in which to do business. I am in the hands of the house. I flag that this is not an issue that the Government would take as an issue of confidence.
MS SZUTY (4.44): I understand that the reasons for proposing this legislative change have come from a number of organisations or national associations which have affiliated member associations, usually State or Territory. Currently, for special resolutions to be carried at annual general meetings or national conferences under the requirements of the Associations Incorporation Act, three-quarters of the votes of the member associations are needed. Under the amended Act, for special resolution votes to be carried at annual general meetings or national conferences, three-quarters of the votes of association members are needed. Presumably the reason behind the need for the change in the Act is to enable special resolution votes to be more easily passed.
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