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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 5 Hansard (15 May) . . Page.. 1514 ..

MR KAINE (continuing):

Development applications are dealt with much more quickly, so that, instead of taking up to 80 days, applications are now dealt with in a maximum of 30 days. Businesses are now able to save fees and time by lodging a single building or development application which covers all aspects requiring approval, such as design and siting, heritage and leasing, and enables the public to comment on all aspects of the proposal in one step.

The change in the regulatory culture of the ACT Public Service brought about by the Government's implementation of the Red Tape Task Force report has benefited businesses by removing many unnecessary regulations. Seventy-five Acts have already been repealed and a further 650 Acts have been identified for possible repeal in the near future, as part of the review of all pre-1980 legislation. New legislation is more in tune with the needs of business. As part of the Government's systematic review of all ACT legislation, unnecessary regulation is being removed and convoluted and fragmented legislation is being replaced with streamlined, integrated legislation which can be understood by all users. Furthermore, all reviews of existing legislation are subject to the rigour of the new business impact assessments. The impact on business of environmental legislation was fully considered in the development of the Environment Protection Bill. A business impact assessment was undertaken as part of the process of developing the legislation.

Health professionals and businesses in Canberra will benefit from the flexible, industry-based codes of practice resulting from new public health legislation. The legislation is based on a co-regulatory approach to regulation rather than the traditional restrictive command-control approach. Public health legislation will be more business oriented because codes of practice will be established only if they are endorsed by peak bodies involved in the health professions and business. Streamlined cross-border arrangements for workers compensation will result from the passage of amendments to the workers compensation legislation which is currently before the house.

Dealing with payroll tax will be a simpler matter for business. The Chief Minister's Department has developed a range of user-friendly information sheets on payroll tax. It is also currently developing a simplified system for the collection of payroll tax in consultation with business and has introduced a self-assessment approach to payroll tax reconciliation. Administration will be simplified for businesses that operate in more than one jurisdiction as a result of the work of the interjurisdictional working parties on stamp duty and payroll tax. The aim is to provide, as far as possible, uniform legislation across all jurisdictions, together with a uniform approach to tax administration. Business can be assured that all legislation will be thoroughly examined to ensure that it does not inhibit competition without very good cause. The Government will commence the review of all legislation which imposes restrictions on competition by the end of this year, two years inside the timeframe required by the Government's national competition policy commitments.

The number of licences required in the ACT has been reduced. For example, and this will be a popular one, beekeepers are no longer required to register their hives, and most customers do not need a permit before they can buy fireworks. The egg licence and licences under the Mining Act 1930 have been abolished - a very significant repeal.

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