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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 05 Hansard (Friday, 14 May 2004) . . Page.. 2010 ..

the bill. Vehicle owners have a responsibility to keep their vehicle roadworthy and, likewise, have a responsibility to report it stolen, know where it is or who is driving it. That is why the Democrats will be supporting this bill.

MRS CROSS (6.24): This still independent member is happy to support this bill.

MS TUCKER (6.24): This amendment does shift the onus to the owner of the vehicle to establish that he or she was not driving the car at the time of the offence and is consistent with the other sections of the act that provide the circumstances for a defence. It sounds like a reasonable amendment to bring this section of the act into line with the appeals process for the issuing of other infringement notices.

The person who was last recorded as owning or registering a vehicle should be the first contact for tracing the offence and would be in a position to establish whether someone else was driving at the time of the offence. I have to make comment on the shifting of the onus of proof as well, but will support this amendment because, as I understand it, it is not shifting it significantly.

MR WOOD (6.25), in reply: I thank members for their support. The anomaly in this legislation is now being removed and we can administer justice in the way that we would always expect it.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

Bill agreed to in principle.

Leave granted to dispense with the detail stage.

Bill agreed to.

Paper

Mr Speaker presented the following paper:

Study Trip—Report with attachments by Mr Bill Stefaniak, MLA—New Zealand Accident Compensation Scheme—New Zealand, January 2004.

Sitting suspended from 6.26 to 8.00 pm.

Suspension of standing order 76

Motion (by Mr Hargreaves) agreed to:

That standing order 76 be suspended for the remainder of this sitting.

Homelessness strategy

Paper and statement by minister

MR WOOD (Minister for Disability, Housing and Community Services, Minister for Urban Services, Minister for Police and Emergency Services, and Minister for Arts and

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