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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 8 Hansard (27 June) . . Page.. 2381 ..

MRS CARNELL (Chief Minister): I seek leave to speak.

Leave granted.

MRS CARNELL: I think it is very interesting the way this debate is going. It seems that very few people, except the Greens and certainly those in the Liberal Party, have actually read the motion that we passed this morning. The motion that we passed this morning was that "the Standing Committee on Planning and Environment examine and report on further retail policy measures that can be taken to maintain diversity in the ACT retail market". It does not actually say, "Let us have a look at everything that we are doing now". It says, "You will consider the following matters". It does not say that we are going to have a whole relook at the Striking a Balance policy. It says that in looking at further retail policy measures the committee will consider a list of things. The reality is that we are not looking at what we are doing today. We are looking at issues - - -

Mr Moore: Except that the bulk of the community are telling you that you have got it wrong.

MRS CARNELL: Sorry, that is the motion that we passed this morning, quite categorically. We decided that we would handle the Bill tonight and then in committee we would look at further things that we could do as an Assembly, as a committee, to improve or, as the motion says, to maintain diversity in the ACT retail market. It is that simple. That is what we decided to do this morning, and that is very appropriate and in line with the approach that we are now taking. I was very interested to hear both Mr Moore and Mr Berry make comment that, shock, horror, we have never done this before; that we have never done anything so insidious as passing a piece of legislation and then having a committee look at that legislation. Mr Moore, remember the mental health Bill? Remember passing the mental health Bill with a sunset clause? Remember, there is a sunset clause from the Libs on the table for this Bill. Mr Moore, a committee had a number of looks at the mental health Bill; there was an external review of mental health legislation; we finally put a piece of legislation on the table; we decided to put a sunset clause in it; and then we referred it straight to a committee for monitoring. That is exactly what we did. You and I were on that committee, Mr Moore.

Mr Moore: That is right. It went to the committee first. Before the legislation ever went through this Assembly it went to the committee, then back to the Assembly, then for their monitoring.

MRS CARNELL: But, Mr Moore, we passed the legislation.

Mr Moore: Come on, do not misrepresent it, Kate. You know that that is what happened.

MRS CARNELL: We passed the legislation.

Mr Moore: After it had been to a committee.

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