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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 07 Hansard (Thursday, 1 July 2004) . . Page.. 3221 ..

would be no opportunity to question or delay that decision by any other means, such as a court injunction on the release of GMOs. The Assembly would be the last and only line of defence against an unwanted release. I think this additional restriction is a sensible one. It would allow the Assembly the time and opportunity to consider whether an exemption is appropriate before the release of a GMO occurs.

MR WOOD (Minister for Disability, Housing and Community Services, Minister for Urban Services, Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Minister for Arts and Heritage, and Acting Minister for Health) (9.27): This amendment would prevent an exemption from commencing until the disallowance period has passed. Under the government’s bill, an exemption is already a disallowable instrument, and the government believes this provides reasonable opportunity for Assembly input.

The potential effect of the proposed Democrat amendment would be to delay the operation of an exemption for a very long period. The proposed new clause could result in unnecessary procedural delays to the operation of exemptions and not change the ultimate outcome of the disallowable instrument process. Such a procedural change would act as a significant disincentive to GM research, as project commencement could be suspended for various periods.

MS TUCKER (9.28): The Greens will support this amendment. It is clear that the whole process of managing the cultivation of GM crops has been handed to the research and marketing community. I refer members to Dr Lawson’s comments, that I quoted earlier in this debate, that science and research are not value neutral and that it is not inappropriate to have some control vested in the Assembly. I appreciate that the issue of timing is crucial, but it is not impossible for people planning field trials or cultivation to be apprised of the timetables of the Assembly and to ensure that they do not miss a growing season. The reverse—a crop being disallowed after it was planted and largely grown—would seem to be worse.

Amendment negatived.

Clause 8, as amended, agreed to.

Clauses 9 and 10, by leave, taken together and agreed to.

New clause 10A.

MR WOOD (Minister for Disability, Housing and Community Services, Minister for Urban Services, Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Minister for Arts and Heritage, and Acting Minister for Health) (9.29): I move amendment No 2 circulated in my name, which inserts a new clause, 10A [see schedule 9 at page 3247].

Mr Speaker, this is what I was trying to refer to earlier. It proposes the establishment of an advisory council and ensures that the minister’s decision about whether to grant an exemption is made with input from various stakeholders. I think this is a sound measure that enhances the bill.

MR SMYTH (Leader of the Opposition) (9.30): Mr Speaker, the opposition will be supporting the insertion of the advisery council clause. It is something we suggested in

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