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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 9 Hansard (3 September) . . Page.. 2790 ..

MR MOORE (continuing):

The report of the committee that Mr Humphries chaired was supported unanimously by the then presiding member, Mr Humphries, and by Mr David Lamont from the Labor Party and my colleague Ms Helen Szuty. This legislation provides us with an opportunity to take the matter further. I urge members to support this opportunity that I am presenting.

Debate (on motion by Mr Osborne) adjourned.

LEAVE OF ABSENCE TO MEMBER

Motion (by Ms Tucker) agreed to:

That leave of absence from 5 to 22 September 1997 inclusive be given to Ms Horodny.

ANIMAL WELFARE (AMENDMENT) BILL 1996

[COGNATE BILL:

FOOD (AMENDMENT) BILL 1996]

Debate resumed from 4 December 1996, on motion by Ms Horodny:

That this Bill be agreed to in principle.

MR SPEAKER: Is it the wish of the Assembly to debate this order of the day concurrently with the Food (Amendment) Bill 1996? There being no objection, that course will be followed. I remind members that in debating order of the day No. 1 they may also address their remarks to order of the day No. 2.

MR HUMPHRIES (Attorney-General) (10.50): Mr Speaker, we have before us today two Bills which in their present form would have a quite significant effect on the operation of egg production in the ACT. These Bills seek to make a number of amendments to both the Animal Welfare Act and the Food Act. The proposed amendments are not limited to the poultry industry and will have a significant effect on the operation of these Acts.

The Animal Welfare (Amendment) Bill seeks to make it a criminal offence from 1 July 1999 to operate a battery cage system for the purpose of egg production. That provision will, of course, apply to anybody who keeps hens in a battery cage, not merely a major producer like Parkwood Eggs, which is the ACT's major producer of eggs. There is a provision that prohibits a person from keeping hens for the purpose of egg production in a battery cage system. The Food (Amendment) Bill has a sister provision, if I may use that term, which prohibits a person from selling eggs produced in a manner which is inconsistent with the provisions of the Animal Welfare Act and therefore effectively means that the sale of eggs from battery production, whether it is inside or outside the ACT, is to be banned in the ACT.

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