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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 8 Hansard (9 August) . . Page.. 2642 ..
MR SMYTH (continuing):
It is believed that BSE spreads between cattle and other ruminants through feed products made from BSE-infected animals. In Britain, a number of deaths are believed to have resulted from humans eating beef from cattle infected with BSE.
The ACT Legislative Assembly passed amendments to the StockAct 1991 in March 1999, banning the feeding of certain mammalian products to ruminants.
Recent developments in Europe have indicated that a series of actions need to be undertaken to make sure we retain our disease free status and protect public health.
The most recent meeting of the Agriculture and Resource Management Council of Australia and New Zealand, in March 2001, discussed the implications for Australia of BSE.
Council members resolved to introduce legislation in their respective jurisdictions to increase the coverage of material banned from ruminant feeds. The proposed amendments to the StockAct 1991 will ban the inclusion of certain mammalian products, and poultry and fishmeal in ruminant feeds.
The Government has not sought to amend legislation earlier because ,wording of the changes needed to be consistent with other States. Agreement on appropriate wording has now been achieved.
I should add that enacting this legislation will have no impact on primary producers in the ACT because such feed additives are not currently used here. Nevertheless, it is important that the ACT is not to be seen as a weak link in the chain of Australia's beef industry.
Mr Speaker, I commend the Bill to the Assembly.
Debate (on motion by Mr Hargreaves ) adjourned to the next sitting.
Building and Construction Industry Training Levy Amendment 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) (11.00): I move:
That this bill be agreed to in principle.
Mr Speaker, this bill is a small amendment to the Building and Construction Industry Training Levy Act 1999 to close a loophole that has inadvertently excluded certain types of construction from liability to pay the training levy.
As members will recall, the original act introduced a 0.2 per cent training levy payable on the construction of any building or developmental work in the ACT. The training levy applies to all work except work valued at less than $10,000 and that undertaken directly by the Commonwealth or ACT government departments. The levy is payable on all work contracted out by government. The Building and Construction Industry Training Levy
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