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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 8 Hansard (7 August) . . Page.. 2444 ..

MS TUCKER (continuing):

rather than just leave it to the commissioner's discretion. My amendment changes "may" to "must" and also makes the procedure a disallowable instrument so that the process is accountable.

MR HUMPHRIES (Chief Minister, Minister for Community Affairs and Treasurer) (11.46): Mr Speaker, I do not have a particular objection to this provision, except that, once again, it brings the administration processes within the government into the Legislative Assembly, for the Assembly to tinker with if it wishes.

I make the point that the Assembly has passed legislation which has led to a rising tide of disallowable instruments coming before us on a regular basis. My impression is that the vast majority of these instruments are never looked at by members of this place. I suppose this practice may alert someone who might disagree with an instrument and provide them with the opportunity to come forward.

There is a lot of paperwork associated with making a disallowable instrument and, I have to say, I really wonder just how much scrutiny is given to those instruments by members of this place. We regularly have matters put into that form and I really doubt whether it is resulting in much scrutiny at all by members of parliament, particularly in a parliament of this size.

Mr Speaker, I have indicated our position and I wonder whether members expect to use this to make any changes.

Amendment agreed to.

Bill, as a whole, as amended, agreed to.

Bill, as amended, agreed to.

Duties Amendment Bill 2001 (No 2)

Debate resumed from 15 June 2001, on motion by Mr Humphries:

That this bill be agreed to in principle.

MR QUINLAN (11.48): The opposition will be supporting this bill, which relates to the exchange of various assets and duties applying thereto. We have looked at it and can see no major problem with the mainly technical nature of the changes being made.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

Bill agreed to in principle.

Detail stage

Bill, by leave, taken as a whole.

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