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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 8 Hansard (27 August) . . Page.. 2503 ..

MR MOORE (continuing):

That having been the case, eight months later, after quite a number of discussions with a range of members from every group in this Assembly, we have now brought the Bill back on. Mr Humphries has indicated that he will put up amendments that will say, "No, not four-year terms, Mr Moore; but we are prepared to change to October elections, with a back-up date in December should the October date coincide with a Federal election". That is a very sensible approach, and I am very comfortable with that. I think, therefore, it is appropriate for us to proceed with this legislation.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

Bill agreed to in principle.

Bill, by leave, taken as a whole

MR HUMPHRIES (Attorney-General) (12.00): Mr Speaker, I seek leave to move together the two amendments I have circulated in my name.

Leave not granted.

MR HUMPHRIES: I will do them one at a time then, Mr Speaker. I move:

Page 2, lines 8 and 9, clause 4, paragraph (b), omit the paragraph, substitute the following paragraph:

"(b) by omitting from paragraph (1)(b) `February' and substituting `October'; and ".

Let me put a few matters very clearly on the record, since Mr Berry, who seems to have been abandoned by all of his colleagues - I am not surprised, in the circumstances - seems to have not understood the processes being used in this matter. It is usual, or at least it has been in the life of this Assembly, for parties to attempt to sit down and discuss, in what we have chosen to call round tables, a series of contentious issues that will ultimately come before the Assembly. That is an approach which I think has been extremely successful. It is a process which has anticipated controversial issues and taken them to a stage where they can be discussed outside the intensity of political debate as would be found in this sort of setting. It permits issues to be considered in a calm and rational way.

The many issues that were given rise to by the 1995 election led to a review of the Electoral Act and its operation conducted by the Electoral Commissioner. The report of that review was produced in 1995 and tabled in this place, and there has been extensive consultation and discussion about it ever since. There have been a number of discussions between the parties represented in this place about the consequences of that review. Mr Moore's Bill has also put on the table the issue of four-year terms - an issue not canvassed in the review.

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