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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 8 Hansard (31 August) . . Page.. 2802 ..

MS TUCKER (6.28): I would like to comment on the two arguments that have been put. I am just wondering if what I am about to suggest might be a way around this problem. I do not know if we can do this tonight-we might need to adjourn the debate-but instead of saying that the minister "must present to the Legislative Assembly a copy indemnity within six sitting days of receiving it", could you say "must present to the Legislative Assembly notice of the indemnity"? Mr Humphries spoke about producing an annual list. But if you gave notice of an indemnity to the Assembly within six sitting days, we could then look at it if we needed to. Members will know what has happened and they will be given the right to look at the information. Minister, you are not making it disallowable, are you? It is just about information?

Mr Humphries: That is right.

MS TUCKER: What I have suggested could be a possible way around it, but I do not know that we can whip up an amendment at this point in time. Could the Attorney respond to that.

MR HUMPHRIES (Treasurer, Attorney-General and Minister for Justice and Community Safety) (6.29): I think much of what Ms Tucker has suggested is actually going to happen anyway as a result of Mr Quinlan's amendment. I do not know whether Mr Quinlan wants me to table the full indemnity document.

Mr Quinlan: No.

MR HUMPHRIES: Just a notice. Well, it is going to happen anyway. I will be tabling the notices of all the indemnities which have been offered in the preceding three weeks to a sitting.

Ms Tucker: It says "a copy of the indemnity".

MR HUMPHRIES: Well, that seems more onerous than I had first imagined. Every sitting week we will be sending out a pile that potentially could be like the one that is now in front of me, and some of those are quite thick documents. To be perfectly frank, I think that is unnecessary.

MR QUINLAN (6.30): Based on that information, I will withdraw the amendment. I give notice that I may come forward with another amendment at some future date. But I am not interested in reading the amount of paper that comes through this place. I am quite happy to be reasonable in this exercise. I seek leave to withdraw my amendment.

Leave granted.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

Clause 15, as amended, agreed to.

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