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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 2 Hansard (1 March) . . Page.. 408 ..
MR BERRY (continuing):
I suggest that is the initial registration -
and $100 annual fee.
Mr Humphries: Where are you reading from?
MR BERRY: Look at page 11.
Mr Humphries: Whereabouts on page 11?
MR BERRY: Try the top paragraph
Mr Humphries: Yes, but it is cumulative, they think.
MR BERRY: It is $100 for registration and $100 for an annual fee. That is the initial registration. I think you have had a bad case of reading between the lines.
Mr Humphries: Look at paragraph 52(1), Wayne, $200. They thought that it was cumulative, not sequential.
MR BERRY: Yes, that is right, approximately $200. A $100 initial application fee and a $100 annual fee. Talk about selective reading: There is very clearly a $100 annual fee and a $100 application fee; so it is not $200 a year. It is $100 a year; $200 for the first year, on application. Let us not misinterpret deliberately what the committee said in relation to this matter. It did not say $200 a year at all. The committee members can speak for themselves, but it is quite plain to me what occurs in New South Wales. I think that it was quite disingenuous of Mr Humphries to attempt to give us misleading information.
An important issue which Mr Humphries raised in his argument was that of consultation. He tells us today that he wrote twice to the agents. I know that to be a fact because that is also reported in the committee's report. I think that it thanked the Government for writing to all of these employment agents to inform them about this matter. Indeed, I think it is fair to say that the employment agents knew that this Bill had been introduced 18 months ago or so and knew about the committee inquiry. Some responded to it. In fact, Mr Chris Peters of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, obviously cranked up about a piece of legislation in the ACT Assembly, wrote on 16 February to all career people, as he described them, saying:
We understand that, today, the Legislative Assembly adjourned, for one week only, consideration of a Bill introduced by Mr Wayne Berry to amend the Agents Act. The amendment, if carried, would introduce a licensing system for private employment agencies and would include the payment of annual licence fees to Government.
When Mr Berry's proposal was initiated (about a year ago) -
it was longer than that -
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