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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 5 Hansard (8 May) . . Page.. 1680 ..
MR WOOD (continuing):
These changes to the disclosure thresholds will bring all the thresholds for disclosure and for receipt of anonymous donations to $1,500. This will remove a number of inconsistencies and inequities in the current disclosure scheme, ensuring that different types of political entities will be treated the same way. For example, under the current scheme the identity of donors giving $200 or more to candidates must be disclosed, whereas the threshold for identifying the identity of donors to parties is $1,500. As party candidates can direct all of their donations through the party, this means that the effective disclosure threshold for donations to party candidates is $1,500 compared to a $200 threshold for donations to non-party candidates.
The bill also amends the Electoral Act to provide that broadcasters and publishers will be required to provide the address of those people who have placed election advertisements when submitting election disclosure returns. This will facilitate identification of and contact with advertisers. This will enable the Electoral Commissioner to follow up cases where advertisers are required to submit disclosure returns.
Mr Speaker, the measures contained in this bill will further refine the ACT's electoral arrangements to ensure that the ACT continues to follow best practice in the conduct of its elections.
Debate (on motion by Ms Dundas ) adjourned to the next sitting.
Registration of Deeds Amendment Bill 2003
Mr Wood,
on behalf of Mr Stanhope, pursuant to notice, presented the bill and its explanatory statement.Title read by Clerk.
MR WOOD (Minister for Disability, Housing and Community Services, Minister for Urban Services, Minister for the Arts and Heritage and Minister for Police and Emergency Services) (10.45): I move:
That this bill be agreed to in principle.
The Registration of Deeds Amendment Bill 2003 amends the Registration of Deeds Act 1957 to prevent a person registering a deed poll under the act in order to record a change of name. This amendment is important, as it will restrict the registration of names to the process provided under the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act 1997.
At the present time there are two ways of registering a change of name in the territory: by registering a deed poll under the Registration of Deeds Act 1957 or by applying to register the change of name under the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act 1997. It is not necessary to have two separate and distinct options to register a change of name. Unlike the Registration of Deeds Act 1957, the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act has a monitoring process designed to reduce fraud and the use of undesirable or offensive names.
The Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act also prevents the registration of undesirable names, permits changes of names only to persons who are resident in the
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