Page 3586 - Week 11 - Thursday, 16 November 2006
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belongs—the portfolio which the ACT Labor Party thought was so insignificant and unimportant that they could abolish it.
MR SPEAKER: Relevance, Dr Foskey.
DR FOSKEY: Nonetheless, I will be supporting this bill.
MR HARGREAVES (Brindabella—Minister for the territory and Municipal Services, Minister for Housing and Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (11.01), in reply: For Dr Foskey’s information, I carry the title of minister for the environment and sustainability as an administrative order. Contained within that and within the Department of Territory and Municipal Services is responsibility for fisheries. If you have a good look at the AAOs you will find responsibility for the Fisheries Act sitting in there.
Firstly, I would like to thank members for their support of this bill. I would like to table a revised explanatory statement. It is mainly a format change. The content is the same as the previous one. The main thrust of this bill, in fact, is all about trafficking. I was told recently that there is more money made out of illegal abalone fishing than out of drug trafficking. That is a significantly serious issue.
The reason why this bill was put forward is that the ACT, being a sort of island in the middle of New South Wales, was finding itself a safe haven for those people who would traffic in abalone and rock lobster. The accent on this particular amendment is about the offence of trafficking and, of course, receipt of trafficked goods. Folks now can be taken to task not only for the trafficking of it but also for possession of trafficable amounts and receipt of it. It is now a criminal offence. I do not think I will continue much further. I thank members very sincerely for their support. I look forward to our joining with New South Wales to stamp out this crime.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Bill agreed to in principle.
Leave granted to dispense with the detail stage.
Bill agreed to.
Canberra Institute of Technology (Validation of Fees) Bill 2006
Debate resumed from 21 September 2006, on motion by Mr Barr:
That this bill be agreed to in principle.
MRS DUNNE (Ginninderra) (11.04): The Liberal opposition will be supporting this bill. It seems to be a fix-up. The apparent problem is of considerable longstanding and probably a reflection upon successive governments and successive administrations. There is no doubt that students at the CIT have received high-quality education. This is one of those things. We often do fix-ups; we did some earlier this week. Some are
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