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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 04 Hansard (Tuesday, 30 March 2004) . . Page.. 1356 ..

reregister, you usually know what you are doing, then three months appears more than long enough. While it could be argued that the Christmas break makes three months too short a time for the department, we should remember that the timeframe is about putting in your paperwork. The department can and does take quite a lot longer to process it on occasions.

Amendment agreed to.

Clause 136, as amended, agreed to.

Clauses 137 and 138, by leave, taken together and agreed to.

Clauses 139 to 142, by leave, taken together.

MS TUCKER (9.28): I will be opposing these clauses.

MS GALLAGHER (Minister for Education, Youth and Family Services, Minister for Women and Minister for Industrial Relations) (9.28): I am happy to speak here. The government, in light of some amendments made under, I think, section 135, is of the view that these clauses are no longer required. I will not be moving my amendment No 9 and we will be supporting Ms Tucker’s opposition to clauses 139 to 142.

Clauses 139 to 142 negatived

Clauses 143 to 152, by leave, taken together and agreed to.

Clause 153.

MR PRATT (9.29): I seek leave to move amendments Nos 25 and 26 circulated in my name together.

Leave granted.

MR PRATT: I move amendments Nos 25 and 26 circulated in my name together [see schedule 3 at page 1376]. I would like to brief the house on both of my amendments 25 and 26 at the same time. These amendments allow the work of students or schools in both non-government and government school sectors to be recognised through assistance and rewards. This evens the playing field, so to speak, and allows children not to miss out on these advantages just because they do not attend a particular school or a particular sector.

MS TUCKER (9.30): Mr Pratt makes the point that there is no reason that the minister cannot give a prize or an award to students from a non-government school. On the other hand, it does not make sense for the minister to grant a bursary to a student from a non-government school. Given that the point is that the minister may grant such awards wherever she sees fit, I am inclined to support these amendments.

MR STEFANIAK (9.30): I think that not supporting Mr Pratt’s amendments is probably going against the ACT’s all new, all-singing, all-dancing Human Rights Act.

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