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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 1 Hansard (16 February) . . Page.. 115 ..

MR OSBORNE (11.46): I have no problem with extending the date to 30 June 2000, so I will be supporting the amendment. I must admit, though, that I sit here in amazement at the Labor Party, given that the competition policy nightmare was started by Mr Keating and, I believe, signed off by Ms Follett. My recollection of history, Mr Speaker, is that they were Labor leaders, so the crocodile tears of the Labor Party are very interesting. I will be supporting the extension sought by Mr Hargreaves.

Amendment agreed to.

Proposed new clauses agreed to.

Clause 10

MR HARGREAVES (11.48): Clause 10 actually fits the blade to the guillotine for the Milk Authority, Mr Speaker. The most common word in all of the subclauses is "omitting". Down comes the blade, blam, it is gone! Why, I ask those members who are going to vote on this clause, would you have a Milk Authority consisting of one, two, three or four members, which is provided for in clause 5, and then in clause 10 take away all of their powers? Why would you have it? Why would you have a clause 5 when you have the Urban Services Department doing half of it and the Chief Minister's Department doing the other half? The reason why they can do that, Mr Speaker, is that clause 10 takes away all the powers of the Milk Authority. Mr Speaker, we just do not see the sense in it. Therefore, I move:

Page 3, line 21, paragraph (a), omit the paragraph.

MR SMYTH (Minister for Urban Services) (11.49): Mr Speaker, the Government will be opposing the amendment simply because, again, it just illustrates quite graphically Labor's lack of understanding of this issue. It is not acceptable in this day and age for a body which regulates an industry to be the body that markets that industry and to be the body that runs the commercial contracts for that industry. It is fairly fundamental; it is also fairly simple. Yet again it just illustrates quite clearly Labor's lack of understanding on this issue.

Amendment negatived.

Clause agreed to.

Clause 11

MR HARGREAVES (11.50): I move the amendment circulated in my name on the revised schedule:

Page 4, line 2, omit "31 December 1999", substitute "30 June 2000".

For the benefit of members, this amendment is just a continuation of the same thing, extending the period from 31 December 1999 to 30 June 2000. I draw Mr Rugendyke's and Mr Osborne's attention particularly to clause 11(c), which says:

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