Page 911 - Week 03 - Thursday, 30 March 2006
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Leave granted to dispense with the detail stage.
Bill agreed to.
Visitors
MR SPEAKER: I would like to acknowledge some people who have been with us today, some Scouts from the Brindabella unit of the Southwell Scout Group and from the First Aranda Venturers. Welcome.
Working Families in the ACT—Select Committee
Amendment to resolution of appointment
MRS BURKE (Molonglo) (5.55): I seek leave to move a motion concerning the Select Committee on Working Families in the ACT.
Leave granted.
MRS BURKE: I move:
That the resolution of the Assembly establishing the Select Committee on Working Families in the Australian Capital Territory, agreed to on 5 May 2005, be amended as follows: Omit paragraph (3), substitute:
“(3) noting that the Committee has tabled an interim report which indicated at paragraph 5.12 that time and evidence are needed to reliably and validly determine the effects on working families in the ACT of reforms to the industrial relations system:
(a) suspends the operation of the Committee from the date this motion is agreed to until March 2007; and
(b) calls on the Assembly to amend the terms of reference in March 2007 in light of comments in the interim report; and”.
I thank members for their understanding earlier today and also for agreeing to this matter being heard at this hour of the day. I put forward this amendment with a clear point of view. The Select Committee on Working Families in the ACT should not continue at this point in time to conduct proceedings on an apparent investigation into the work choices federal legislation and its impact on Canberrans. To continue would be to draw a very long bow indeed. Put simply, I am calling for the committee to be suspended and resumed in March 2007, when we should as a committee then be in receipt of a good deal more information on the effects of the federal government’s legislation on working families.
All members of the Assembly would agree that a sensible and measured approach to researching and reporting on such important issues should be a part of the business of the committee system. However, it is pointless to continue to hold meetings until such time as enough substantive evidence of the effects and subsequent impacts, good or bad, of
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