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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 8 Hansard (29 August) . . Page.. 2548 ..

MS CARNELL (continuing):

encourage and assist the resolution of disputes, while giving the Magistrates Court the capacity to tailor procedural rules to fit the wide range of complex matters within its jurisdiction.

The forthcoming 2000 Olympic Games have highlighted the need to increase the penalty for trafficking in anabolic steroids to more closely reflect the penalties for trafficking in illicit drugs. The amendment to the Poisons and Drugs Act 1978 proposes to increase the penalties for this whole approach to at least five years. As members would know, it was tabled this morning.

The Domestic Animals Bill amalgamates and significantly improves the Dog Control Act 1975 and the Animal Nuisance Control Act 1975. The bill is included in the package of initiatives within the strategic companion animals management package (SCAMP), which was released for consultation on 21 October 1999. As part of the SCAMP package, the government also proposes to amend the Animal Welfare Act 1992 to ban the practice of docking dogs' tails, except where a therapeutic need has been identified by a veterinarian.

The first stage of the government's commitment to reforming purchasing will be implemented through the Government Purchasing Bill. The legislation will establish an ACT government purchasing board to oversee a system of training and accreditation of purchasing officers and contract managers. The board will recommend strategies by which the territory may take full advantage of options in electronic commerce and other advances in procurement.

The archives legislation will be known as the Government Records Bill. It will establish the position of Director of Government Records and the ACT Government Records Advisory Council and provide for the preservation of government records. This legislation is the outcome of a feasibility study into the establishment of an ACT archive undertaken in response to my government's 1998 election commitment. The legislation will also incorporate a number of the "access to records" initiatives contained in the ACT government response to Bringing Them Home: Report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families.

In the lead-up to the 1998 election, my government gave a commitment to review the ACT's education legislation. After much consultation with the ACT community, this major review has now been completed and the committee has reported to the government. We intend to introduce a bill before the end of the year that consolidates current education legislation into one act.

A number of amending bills will be introduced to implement recommendations of the legislation reviews undertaken in response to our commitment to the national competition policy agreement. Amendments to the Bookmakers Act 1985, the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1965, the Health Professional Bill and the accompanying amendment of the Community and Health Services Complaints Act 1993 and the Cemeteries and Crematoria Administration Bill are in this category.

This is a diverse and interesting legislation program. In tabling the spring 2000 legislation program, the government is once again indicating to members the legislative items it considers are important. I seek the cooperation of members in the timely

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