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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 13 Hansard (3 December) . . Page.. 4503 ..

MR OSBORNE (continuing):

sent them a cut and paste copy of what we wanted the final Bill to look like. Then the drafter we had been talking to went on leave for four months. Then he was not available for another two months. On his return my office was told that the cut and paste copy was not good enough, even though it was what had been originally requested.

The Parliamentary Counsel now want a detailed list of line-by-line changes. So, Mr Speaker, we hired somebody in the office especially for that and provided them with a list in September 1996. Then, would you not know it, Christmas was upon us and the Parliamentary Counsel staff went on holidays. When the holidays ended we were told that because of a lack of drafters Parliamentary Counsel would not be doing any work on any Bills we put up in 1997. How disappointed they were to be. After much agitation, going cap in hand, or I should say bat in hand, to Mr Humphries, a drafter was allocated. To cut a long story short, Parliamentary Counsel finally started putting pen to paper on this Bill four days before it was tabled, last month or the month before.

Mr Speaker, there is no point in crying over spilt milk. However, my examination of reforms to the ACT system of government has now been extended to include looking at the possibility of outsourcing the work of Parliamentary Counsel. I understand that this is a very complex Bill and I believe the drafter who had the final charge of it did a great job in the short time he had to work on it. Even he admitted that if he had had more time he would have provided us with a much better Bill. I do not blame individuals for what happened, Mr Speaker, but I believe the system of allocating private members Bills needs to be addressed by the next Assembly. If I am lucky enough to return, I will certainly be having my say on that issue.

Mr Moore: Maybe everybody will be a private member.

MR OSBORNE: Maybe everyone will be a private member. Maybe members of the Labor Party and the Liberal Party will see the light, Mr Moore. Mr Speaker, I will not continue to bore members with my sorry tale, but it should surprise no-one to learn that I am less than happy with the Bill as it now stands and fear that it may, in fact, do more harm than good. As I said, I am prepared to wait. I am pleased, as I said, with the small victory of having the Bill supported in principle. I would hope that if I am not here next year someone from the crossbenches will pick it up and run with it, because I doubt that someone from the major parties would do so. If I am here I will re-present the Bill and have an Assembly committee look at it thoroughly, and hopefully come back with a much better piece of legislation. Finally, Mr Speaker, I think good things are worth waiting for, and I believe that this Bill will, one day, be a very good thing. Once again, I thank all members for their support.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

Bill agreed to in principle.

Debate (on motion by Mr Humphries) adjourned.

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