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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 11 Hansard (10 December) . . Page.. 3573 ..

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On 20 August 1998, I tabled the Government Response to the ACT Government Working Party's Report of its review of retail and tenancy legislation in the ACT, Commercial and Retail Tenancy Legislation into the 21st Century.

At that time, I foreshadowed that extensive new legislation would be necessary to give effect to the recommendations of the Working Party accepted by the Government. The Leases (Commercial and Retail) Bill 1998 which I am tabling today as an exposure draft reflects the accuracy of that statement.

Objectives of draft Bill

The Government has had a longstanding commitment to ensuring a fair balance between the interests of lessors and commercial and retail tenants. Consistent with this commitment, the objectives of the new legislation, clearly stated in clause 3 of the draft Bill, are:

. to ensure that all parties to commercial and retail leases, and negotiations for those leases, are able to make fully informed decisions;

. that there is an appropriate balance between the bargaining powers of the parties, particularly in the negotiation stages;

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