Page 851 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 20 March 2012
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I support the extension of time to report to the Assembly because I think it is a serious issue. I do not support the amendments from Mr Smyth.
MR BARR (Molonglo—Deputy Chief Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development and Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation) (10.29): I thank members for raising this matter today and I apologise to the Assembly for the delay in providing the report. As members may be aware, the scheme actuary took some personal leave during the period and, I understand, was unavailable for a three-week period. That, combined with a further filing by the NRMA of their premium on 9 January, is the reason for the delay. I note section 275(4) of the act provides that the minister may have regard to anything else that the minister considers relevant, and in the context of this review I believe that the latest filing from the NRMA is relevant.
In relation to Mr Smyth’s amendments, I became aware of the censure—I think an email was sent to my office 12 minutes before the Assembly was scheduled to sit this morning. I thank Mr Smyth for giving me 12 minutes notice of the censure. I have the report to table today and will do so, so I have no problem in relation to the first of Mr Smyth’s amendments.
I see another amendment circulating in the Assembly from Ms Le Couteur, seeking to remove “censure” and replace it with “expresses its grave concern”. I understand that tends to be the Greens’ preferred way of rapping a minister over the knuckles for an error. I wish to publicly acknowledge that I should have advised the Assembly in the February sittings of the delay and the reasons for it. I apologise to the Assembly. I have the report today. I look forward to a substantive debate on the policy issues contained within the report. I think that is where we can serve our constituents best in relation to that. But I will cop this.
There has been a delay. The reasons for the delay are twofold—the personal leave of the scheme actuary, the unavailability of IAG insurance officials over the summer holiday period, and that the NRMA filed a new premium claim on 9 January. For those reasons the report is delayed. I have it to table today and I apologise to the Assembly for the delay.
MS LE COUTEUR (Molonglo) (10.32): I move the amendment circulated in my name:
Omit paragraph (5), substitute:
“(5) that this Assembly expresses its grave concern for the Treasurer’s failure to comply with the requirements of section 275 of the Road Transport (Third-Party Insurance) Act 2008.”.
The purpose of this amendment, as Mr Barr said, is to change the wording from “censure” to “grave concern”. Our view is that given Mr Barr has now said (a) that he is going to table it today and (b) that there were some reasons for the delay, possibly this omission does not meet the threshold for censure. It is certainly something that the Greens take quite seriously. The act is very clear as to what the minister’s responsibilities are, and the minister simply did not do those in the timely fashion required by the act.
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