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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 5 Hansard (14 May) . . Page.. 1353 ..

Wednesday, 14 May 1997

______________________

The Assembly met at 10.30 am

(Quorum formed)

MR SPEAKER (Mr Cornwell) took the chair and asked members to stand in silence and pray or reflect on their responsibilities to the people of the Australian Capital Territory.

STANDING ORDER 28

MR SPEAKER: Members, I think it is pertinent to remind those in the chamber and those elsewhere in the building of standing order 28, which reads:

The Chair shall be taken at the time appointed on every day fixed for the meeting of the Assembly, but if a quorum is not present, and if within 5 minutes, the bells having been rung, a quorum is still not present, the Speaker shall adjourn the Assembly: Provided that if the Speaker is satisfied there is likely to be a quorum within a reasonable time it shall be announced that the Chair will be taken at a stated time; but if at that time there is not a quorum the Speaker shall adjourn the Assembly until the next sitting day.

I would just remind members of that standing order. We had a little trouble with quorums yesterday and this morning. I am not sure, from the public relations point of view of the Assembly, it would look very good if I had to adjourn the Assembly until the next sitting day.

TRADING HOURS (REPEAL) BILL 1997

Debate resumed from 19 February 1997, on motion by Mr Whitecross:

That this Bill be agreed to in principle.

MR HUMPHRIES (Attorney-General) (10.35): Mr Speaker, I understand what you were saying about quorums; and I will make sure that next time I do not come down at 10.30, to make sure that we do not get that quorum, as you are hinting, I think.

Mr Speaker, the Trading Hours (Repeal) Bill, as members are aware, will be supported by the Government. The ACT Government, as members will be aware, over the last nine months or so has been prepared to trial the restriction on trading hours which is the subject of this Bill. It was the Government's view that this was a worthwhile experiment

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