Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 12 Hansard (5 December) . . Page.. 3715 ..

Leave granted to dispense with the detail stage.

Bill agreed to.

Ordered that orders of the day Nos 3, 4 and 5, Executive business, relating to the Road Transport (Public Passenger Services) Bill 2000, the Road Transport Legislation Amendment Bill 2000 (No 2) and the Leases (Commercial and Retail) Amendment Bill 2000 [No 2] be postponed until the next sitting.

Remainder of bill as a whole.

Debate resumed from 30 November 2000.

MR TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Hird): The question is that Ms Tucker's amendments 1 to 4, including amendments Nos 2 and 3 which insert new clauses 22A and 23A, respectively, be agreed to.

MR STANHOPE (Leader of the Opposition) (10.04): We are resuming the debate that we had last Thursday. I think the debate - and I say this with some hope in my heart - is just about concluded. Ms Tucker has some amendments, which the Labor Party has looked at and is prepared to support. Following representation by the Chief Minister, the Electoral Commissioner briefed me on some of the concerns he has about Ms Tucker's amendments, and I thank him for that briefing. Whilst the Electoral Commissioner did have a point when I spoke to him, I did not think his opposition to Ms Tucker's amendments was particularly strongly held. I think the Electoral Commissioner's view about the amendments was that they were not in fact required, that they did not achieve all that much, and that in any event he had given undertakings that he would deliver on some of the things that Ms Tucker was seeking to achieve through her amendments.

It seems to me that there is no harm in legislating in the way that Ms Tucker proposes in her amendments. On balance, the Labor Party is quite happy to support the legislative approach that Ms Tucker proposes and so we will support the amendments.

MR HUMPHRIES (Chief Minister, Minister for Community Affairs, Attorney - General and Treasurer) (10.06): In my absence on the last occasion the bill was being dealt with, Mr Smyth indicated the government's reasons for not supporting these amendments. Essentially, we were taking the advice of the Electoral Commissioner, who felt that it was unnecessary to support them. I suppose if the Assembly can disregard the views of the Chief Coroner, there is no reason why it should not also disregard the views of the Electoral Commissioner. I hope that in the future we can agree to disregard the views of other officials when it is convenient to do so. We will happily avail ourselves of that opportunity as well.

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .