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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 2 Hansard (1 March) . . Page.. 404 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

As I have said, the problem we face is that this Bill has not been consulted about with agents. Mr Berry claims to have consulted agents, but cannot table the positive responses he believes he has had from those agents. I would ask him to do that if he is serious about his belief that we should have consultation on these sorts of issues. Members can judge this matter for themselves. They would have received letters in recent days from agents making the observation that they have not been consulted.

Mr Berry: Form letters.

MR HUMPHRIES: I do not know whether they are form letters, but they have been prepared to sign these letters on the basis that they have a concern about this matter. (Extension of time granted) They were concerned enough to sign these letters. Everyone I spoke to about the matter after they had written to me expressed the same concerns. It was not a case of someone asking them to write a letter, so they have done their job and written. They have all expressed concern about this matter. I dare say any of us who have spoken to employment agents in the ACT have had the same reaction. Every one of us would have had the same reaction.

Mr Speaker, I want to touch on a few specifics about the amendments Mr Berry has moved. I refer first of all to proposed clause 8A, dealing with annual reports of the board.

Mr Berry: Move to adjourn it again, if you want.

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, I would be happy to move to adjourn debate on this Bill because I think it is ill conceived and we have not had adequate consultation with the industry in the ACT, but I cannot move for such an adjournment because I am halfway through my speech. If you are serious about adjourning it, Mr Berry, I am happy to have one of my colleagues on this side of the chamber move for the adjournment.

Mr Berry: I will oppose it.

MR HUMPHRIES: You cannot have it both ways, Mr Berry. Either there has been consultation on this matter or there has not. If there has been consultation, you should table the responses that you say you have had from people supporting your legislation.

Mr Berry: The same ones that you have had.

MR HUMPRHIES: The ones that I have had oppose the legislation. Mr Speaker, I come back to proposed clause 8A of this Bill. The Government opposes the provisions dealing with the annual report of the board because they demonstrate a lack of understanding of the statutory scheme under the annual reports legislation. First of all, most of Mr Berry's provisions are unnecessary because they are already available through the Chief Minister's directions and they have been included in the board's publicly available annual report.

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