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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1995 Week 10 Hansard (6 December) . . Page.. 2756 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

They claim that amount is insufficient. I have indicated very clearly that if those provisions appear not to work the Government will return to that issue and consider some other arrangement. We feel that the working party is the best way of ironing out any problems that might occur. I will not deal with the amendment until that stage is reached. I thank members for having supported the legislation. I hope that this provides for a fairly extensive and fresh degree of protection for people who are in the market to purchase cars in this Territory.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

Bill agreed to in principle.

Bill, by leave, taken as a whole

MR CONNOLLY (4.25): Mr Speaker, I move:

Page 6, line 9, clause 8, proposed new section 6A, paragraph (1)(b), omit "6", substitute "3".

I debated the issues in my earlier remarks.

MR HUMPHRIES (Attorney-General and Minister for Consumer Affairs) (4.25): I will not support the amendment put forward by Mr Connolly. It is not a matter of enormous importance. Whether it is three or six is not of great import. The question that I think it is appropriate to pose is: Whom are we protecting by this provision? Are we protecting people from access to backyard dealers, or are we protecting dealers on a large scale who do not wish to have to compete with people who might sell cars for a hobby? Mr Moore made a very good point when he said that there are a large number of people in the community who do up cars for a hobby - - -

Ms Follett: Not three at a time.

MR HUMPHRIES: Three in a year, yes; three in a year, quite conceivably. I do not know whom those opposite talk to, but it is quite conceivable to have a number of people toying with cars and - - -

Ms Follett: They are in business if that is the case.

MR HUMPHRIES: In reply to the interjection, I would suggest that if someone tries to make a living out of selling six cars a year they are going to be extremely poor and very thin. Even if they get all their family members to pull together and they get 12 cars or 16 cars in a year they are not making much of a living. We are talking about people who do this as a hobby or a sideline. They might make some money from it, I agree; but to say that these people should be made to register as dealers if they want to sell a handful of cars in a year is going too far. This is an argument put forward by the industry to protect its own position in the marketplace.

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