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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 5 Hansard (13 May) . . Page.. 1307 ..

MS TUCKER (continuing):

and that teachers are more and more being asked to deal with students that they cannot deal with. It puts pressure on all the students as well. Counsellors are not able to deal with the load. I am being contacted by many individual teachers in a private capacity. Also, through the Australian Education Union, I hear that the strains and pressures on many teachers in the system are indeed very heavy. I am very concerned that this Government is still not acknowledging those particular issues in our Education Department.

I will not speak at length on this issue, because we have a censure motion coming up regarding the handling of the School Without Walls; but I do support Ms McRae's raising this as a matter of public importance, Mr Speaker. I would like to see this Minister take very seriously the issues that have been raised here today.

MR SPEAKER: The discussion is concluded.

MR WOOD: I present Report No. 5 of 1997 of the Standing Committee on Scrutiny of Bills and Subordinate Legislation. I seek leave to make a brief statement on the report.

Leave granted.

MR WOOD: Report No. 5 of 1997 contains the committee's comments on eight Bills and eight pieces of subordinate legislation. I will refer to one Bill - the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Bill. This Bill enables the enactment of a proposed Commonwealth Bill to implement the Australian component of a cooperative agreement between New Zealand, the Commonwealth, the States and the Territories for the recognition of regulatory standards regarding goods and occupations.

The Assembly should note that, once this Bill and the Commonwealth Bill set out in the Schedule come into force, there can be changes made to law as it would operate in the ACT, without any reference to the Assembly. There is a provision that the Chief Minister may, by notice in the Gazette, approve the terms of any amendments of the Commonwealth Act; but members should note that the word is "may". Further, in respect of changes to the Schedule to the Commonwealth Act, the ACT's endorsement of a Commonwealth regulation is effected by a notice in the Gazette. There is no requirement for the ACT Assembly to be involved in any change. In one circumstance, endorsement by two-thirds of the participating jurisdictions is all that is required. So, ACT law could be changed, despite objections we may have.

One method of control is that the legislation could be terminated 12 months after giving notice. But, again, that is by the Chief Minister, not by the Assembly. I would point out that these provisions are in the Bills before each State and the Northern Territory.

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