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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 5 Hansard (15 May) . . Page.. 1453 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (Attorney-General and Minister for the Environment, Land and Planning) (10.52): Mr Speaker, I present the Environment Protection (Consequential Provisions) Bill 1997, together with its explanatory memorandum.

Title read by Clerk.

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, I move:

That this Bill be agreed to in principle.

I seek leave to have my presentation speech incorporated in Hansard.

Leave granted.

Document incorporated at Appendix 1.

Debate (on motion by Mr Corbell) adjourned.

MR HUMPHRIES (Attorney-General and Minister for the Environment, Land and Planning) (10.53): Mr Speaker, I present the Commissioner for the Environment (Amendment) Bill 1997, together with its explanatory memorandum.

Title read by Clerk.

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, I move:

That this Bill be agreed to in principle.

Members will recall that, in its response to the 1995 ACT State of the Environment Report, the Government signalled its intention to amend the Commissioner for the Environment Act 1993. The Government was acting on the advice of the commissioner that it is not necessary, from an ecological perspective, to produce a major report on an annual basis. Indeed, annual reporting may become formulistic and is certainly a major drain on the time and resources of the commissioner.

Accordingly, this Bill provides for a state of the environment report to be prepared for the preceding triennium and presented to the Minister by 31 March in each pre-election year. The Bill will not prevent the commissioner from preparing interim annual reports to provide updated information or a topical report card, as he or she wishes. Presentation of the report by 31 March in each pre-election year will enhance the community's ability to judge the government of the day on its environmental record, yet still allow time for necessary action to commence. As members are aware, the first triennium ACT report will be produced late this year as part of a regional state of the environment reporting process.

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