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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 4 Hansard (29 March) . . Page.. 1131 ..

MR STEFANIAK (continuing):

To facilitate the additional versions of the ballot papers provided for in the Electoral (Entrenched Provisions) Amendment Bill 2001, this Bill contains amendments to limit the maximum length of columns of candidates. Under these amendments, the maximum length of a column of candidates cannot exceed the number of candidates to be elected in an electorate. Consequently, a column of candidates cannot be longer than 5 candidates in the 5 member electorates, and a column of candidates cannot be longer than 7 candidates in the 7 member electorate.

The Electoral (Entrenched Provisions) Amendment Bill 2001 includes 60 different variations for lengths of columns up to 5 candidates long for the 5 member electorates, and 420 different variations for lengths of columns up to 7 candidates long, for the 7 member electorate.

In recognition of the greater complexity of the process of printing 420 versions of the 7 member electorate ballot paper, this Bill also includes a measure to close nominations one day earlier to allow more time for typesetting, proof-reading and printing more versions of the ballot papers.

Debate (on motion by Mr Stanhope ) adjourned to the next sitting.

Legislation (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2001

Mr Stefaniak, pursuant to notice, presented the bill and its explanatory memorandum.

Title read by Clerk.

MR STEFANIAK (Minister for Education and Attorney-General) (10.50): I move:

That this bill be agreed to in principle.

I seek leave to have my speech incorporated in Hansard.

Leave granted.

The speech read as follows:

This Bill makes the amendments necessary to bring ACT Acts and subordinate laws fully into line with the new legislative framework of the Legislation Act 2001. The Act, which was passed by the Legislative Assembly on 1 March 2001, provides legislative support for the Public Access to Legislation project-an initiative that will put the ACT at the forefront of legislative access provision in Australia.

The central element of the initiative is establishing an authorised, electronic statute book, the 'ACT legislation register'. The register will be published on the Internet to provide free public access to authorised versions of ACT legislation and other legislative material. The Act also provides for notification of ACT legislation on the register instead of notification in the Gazette.

Although the Bill is quite large, it does not include amendments of a policy nature unrelated to the Legislation Act. Rather, the size of the Bill is directly linked to its purpose of bringing the ACT statute book into line with the legislative framework of the Legislation Act. In fact, almost every ACT Act and subordinate law is amended by the Bill.

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