Page 519 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 23 February 2010
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The amendments include replacing the term “guideline” with “direction” in relation to continuing professional development, which is compulsory under the act. Surveyors require continuing professional development under the act to be registered in the ACT; this amendment clarifies legislation to make it clear that the Chief Surveyor can issue directions for continuing professional development.
The bill also aligns the registration renewals with New South Wales, allowing a joint registration fee to be charged. I note that, according to the ES, 80 per cent of surveyors in the ACT are also registered in New South Wales.
The bill will broaden the act to include all survey work performed by the surveyor under occupational discipline. This will include all work done on a site by the surveyor and not just work done on the boundaries of a property.
The bill will also change the title “Chief Surveyor” to “Surveyor-General”. I note that this will require minor consequential amendments to the Districts Act 2002, the Electoral Act 1992, the Land Titles Act 1925 and the Legislation Act 2001, to accommodate the change of title.
The Canberra Liberals have consulted industry groups, including the HIA, the MBA and the surveyors, and we understand that there are no concerns regarding this bill. On that basis, and noting the sensible deregulation initiatives contained in this bill, we will support the bill in principle.
Ms LE COUTEUR (Molonglo) (4.23): The Greens will be supporting the Surveyors Amendment Bill today. This bill, as Mr Seselja and the minister, Mr Barr, have noted, is a largely administrative bill. It inserts continuing professional development as a mandatory requirement for surveyors’ annual registration renewal. It allows surveyors who are registered in both New South Wales and the ACT to renew registration for both jurisdictions in one easy renewal. It inserts provisions so that, if a surveyor does not meet the registration renewal requirements, such as not paying or not doing professional development, their registration is suspended until they do so.
The scope of surveyors’ work is being extended to allow for all of their professional work, including the broader measurement work that may be carried out as well as the usual boundary establishment work, which is obviously already covered in the act. This brings our act into line with the New South Wales one. The bill also replaces the title “Chief Surveyor” with “Surveyor-General”, which brings us in line with other states.
I found out one really interesting thing as a result of the discussions on this. I found out that ACTPLA are, in fact, the centre of the universe. As far as surveying goes in the ACT, they have a GPS receiving station on top of them. Apparently, in the ACT now, all our surveying is done electronically, and the surveyors in the ACT are surveying the distance from wherever it is back to the base station on top of ACTPLA.
Mr Seselja: ACTPLA mean time, is it?
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