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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 8 Hansard (7 August) . . Page.. 2443 ..

Detail stage

Bill, by leave, taken as a whole.

MR HUMPHRIES (Chief Minister, Minister for Community Affairs and Treasurer) (11.42): Mr Speaker, I move the amendment that has been circulated in my name [see schedule 1 at page 2505]. As I mentioned in my closing remarks during the in-principle debate, this amendment allows for the usual split commencement date to operate. I ask members to support this amendment.

Amendment agreed to.

MS TUCKER (11.43): I move amendment No 1 circulated in my name [see schedule 2 at page 2506]. This amendment relates to the so-called independent officer on the reintegration committee. As I mentioned during the in-principle debate, previously these types of committees included a representative of the relevant union as the independent person. The government has given no good reason to change this situation, apart from their desire to get rid of unions. I think that if a person wants to have a union representative on the committee then they should still have that option.

My amendment, therefore, allows the applicant to request that the Commissioner for Public Administration ask a nominated union to put forward a person for the committee, and if the nominated union puts forward the person then the commissioner must appoint that person to the committee.

MR HUMPHRIES (Chief Minister, Minister for Community Affairs and Treasurer) (11.44): Mr Speaker, the request by Ms Tucker to allow a person to nominate a union representative, if that is the wish of the person, is not a matter with which I have great disagreement. My understanding is, as members can see from proposed section 13A (4), that the commissioner can set out procedures for choosing an independent officer to serve on the committee. I would expect that that would generally result in a person who is nominating a union representative to get such a person onto the panel. At least that would be my impression of what that particular procedure would be designed to serve.

However, Ms Tucker, for the sake of certainly, wishes to include that right within the terms of the bill. Mr Speaker, I do not have a great objection to that and the government will not oppose this amendment.

Amendment agreed to.

MS TUCKER (11.45): I move amendment No 2 circulated in my name [see schedule 2 at page 2506]. This amendment relates to the procedures for appointing the independent person to the committee and the procedures that the committee must follow. I am concerned that the bill just says that the commissioner may set these procedures. I think it is important that the commissioner should set these procedures

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