Page 855 - Week 03 - Thursday, 10 March 2005
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art and games from around the globe. There will be a special focus on food and market stalls. With the passing of this bill, we will be able to purchase the fares we try. I support the government’s amendment to the bill.
MR STANHOPE (Ginninderra—Chief Minister, Attorney-General, Minister for the Environment and Minister for Arts, Heritage and Indigenous Affairs) (11.22), in reply: The Justice and Community Safety Legislation Amendment Bill is the 12th bill in a series of bills under the umbrella of justice and community safety. The bill makes a number of minor and technical amendments to portfolio legislation. Whilst the scope of the amendments might be described as minor and technical, as we have heard in the debate this morning, the amendments to the Liquor Act and the Justices of the Peace Act, in particular, are of some import. The bill makes amendments to the Agents Act, the Evidence Act, the Justices of the Peace Act, the Liquor Act and the Oaths and Affirmations Act.
Dr Foskey and Mr Gentleman focused in particular on the amendments to the Liquor Act and the Justices of the Peace Act. The amendment to the Liquor Act is, I think, of particular note. As has been said, it extends the permit system under the current legislation. It will allow non-ACT wine growers who do not hold an ACT off-licence to apply for a permit to sell up to $15,000 per annum worth of unopened bottles of wine at ACT tourism events or events within the territory for consumption away from the place or event listed in the permit. The permit system will also be extended to allow for non-profit organisations to purchase up to $10,000 worth of wine per year for resale as a fundraising activity. Whilst these are quite simple and straightforward amendments, they do constitute a significant change to the regime in relation to liquor licensing and the sale of regionally produced, unopened bottled wine at events within the ACT.
It really is another very good example of the operations of the capital region and the extent to which we do have a capital region wine industry. We in Canberra proudly claim ownership of the Canberra region wineries and the Canberra region wine industry, but we acknowledge that the majority of wineries that constitute the Canberra region as a wine growing area are, in fact, located across our borders in New South Wales. There has been an issue in relation to the extent to which those cross-border wineries are able to take full advantage of their designation as Canberra region wineries and take full advantage of the opportunities presented to further display the quality, the extent and the variety of wine that is grown within the Canberra region.
This change, although small, will be particularly significant in the context of the Canberra region wine industry. It is an amendment that I am very happy to sponsor. As Mr Gentleman said, it will allow those 20 wineries that will be featured at the celebrate in the park event on Saturday the opportunity to sell their wares to those people who perhaps come form further away in the region and give them an opportunity to take home with them a couple of bottles, or perhaps even a case, of wine that they sampled and, through that mechanism, spread the value and reputation of Canberra region wineries. The Canberra region wine industry is potentially a very significant tourist attractor for the region. It is something that we need to continue to support and nurture.
The Liquor Act will be extended to allow non-profit organisations to purchase up to $10,000 worth of wine per year for resale as a fundraising activity. We are all aware of the extent to which, perhaps on an ad hoc or informal basis, wine features in a vast
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