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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 6 Hansard (19 June) . . Page.. 1791 ..

MRS CARNELL (continuing):

on the licensed premises. With the availability of such information for public scrutiny, the ACT community can now be confident that clubs will be operating within the intention of the law and committed to serving their members and the community at large.

Mr Speaker, it is also proposed to use this opportunity to relinquish the practice of tax officers in the Revenue Office installing gaming machines and verifying machine modifications. Under the proposal, machine installations would become the joint responsibility of the licensee and the relevant supplier. These streamlined procedures will lead to greater efficiency for the industry and for the Revenue Office. While the current practice has been a longstanding legislative requirement, it is now considered to be a regulatory procedure which can be monitored sufficiently and more cost-effectively by the Revenue Office through an ad hoc inspection program.

Currently, Mr Speaker, where the commissioner is required to consider the suitability of a gaming machine, he or she must refer to the technical evaluation of the New South Wales Liquor Administration Board, irrespective of whether the machine has been evaluated as technically suitable by an authorised testing laboratory in another jurisdiction. The Bill proposes a further amendment to provide that, under the above circumstances, the commissioner may have regard to a technical evaluation of a gaming machine from any relevant testing laboratory. This proposal will again result in greater efficiency and timeliness in the process of approving gaming machines.

Debate (on motion by Mr Whitecross) adjourned.

MR HUMPHRIES (Attorney-General) (10.38): Mr Speaker, I present the Liquor (Amendment) Bill (No. 2) 1997, together with its explanatory memorandum.

Title read by Clerk.

MR HUMPHRIES: I move:

That this Bill be agreed to in principle.

Mr Speaker, this Bill amends the Liquor Act 1975 to permanently provide the capacity to make regulations imposing trading hours restrictions for licensed premises. I am presenting a completely new Bill, rather than making further amendments to Mr Osborne's Liquor (Amendment) Act of last year, as, I am advised, Mr Osborne's legislation was drafted in a manner which was appropriate only for the temporary nature of the trial. This Bill proposes a permanent amendment to the Liquor Act.

As I mentioned, this Bill, similarly to the Liquor (Amendment) Act 1996, enables the restriction of trading hours by regulation. This system enables the making of regulations for specific days, such as New Year's Day and Anzac Day, as occurred during the trial period. If this Bill is passed, I propose to put in place the same trading hours restrictions

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