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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 4 Hansard (1 April) . . Page.. 1114 ..

MR STEFANIAK (continuing):

Might I take the opportunity to thank my colleagues on the committee, Deputy Chair Mr Hargreaves and Ms Tucker, for the excellent contribution they made to the debate. The ACT certainly had a lot to say and its views were well appreciated by the conference. The conference was also attended by, Dr Peter Bayne, our learned adviser who prepared a paper for the conference, and Celia Harsdorf and Tom Duncan, our committee secretary. I thank those officials for not only their excellent effort in assisting with the administration but also the contribution they made to the conference.

Might I also pass on my thanks to our Tasmanian hosts Geoff Squibb and his staff for their magnificent hospitality and for ensuring that the conference ran very smoothly. I think as a result of this conference a lot of advances have been made in proper scrutiny of bills and subordinate legislation throughout the Commonwealth.

MR HARGREAVES: I seek leave to make a statement.

Leave granted.

MR HARGREAVES: I wish to speak very briefly. I echo the sentiments of the chair of the committee. The conference was particularly useful. It was one of an ongoing series of conferences which are addressing such things as national scheme legislation and scrutiny of subordinate legislation.

Senator Barney Cooney, who has been the doyen of these sorts of considerations over many years, has been nominated to be the patron of the next conference, which is likely to be in New Zealand. It was significant that the ACT proposed that the patronage of that conference be also awarded to the former governor of New Zealand, who is a very significant person in New Zealand. I just wanted to share with the Assembly how thrilled the conference was that a woman would be nominated for the position of patron of that conference. I was thrilled to pieces.

These conferences, which address the technical parts of parliamentary life, are often regarded by many as boring. I would just like the Assembly to note that Ms Tucker found it an eye-opening experience and a real learning curve, and I was thrilled to sit by and watch that happen.

I also join with my chair in thanking our Tasmanian hosts. We learnt a lot. I would suggest, Mr Speaker, that if people want to take the trouble of wading through the transcripts they will see in fact that the ACT is leading Australian jurisdictions in proper parliamentary scrutiny.

Scrutiny Report No 29

MR STEFANIAK (10.56): Mr Speaker, I present the following report:

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