Page 3343 - Week 11 - Tuesday, 21 October 2014
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Schedule 1 of the bill also amends the Lifetime Care and Support (Catastrophic Injuries) Act by inserting a new paragraph to make it clear that the term “CTP cover under the CTP Act” extends to a motor vehicle involved in a motor accident if the vehicle is covered by a compulsory third-party insurance policy in force under the law of another jurisdiction. This clarification is consistent with the New South Wales Motor Accidents (Lifetime Care and Support) Act, which the ACT act is intended to mirror and on which minimum benchmarks agreed for the national injury insurance scheme for motor accidents have been modelled.
Section 98 of the Lifetime Care and Support (Catastrophic Injuries) Act is also amended to give the power to approve forms to the Lifetime Care and Support Commission instead of the director-general. This change is appropriate, as most forms required under the act relate to the commissioner’s functions.
Schedule 2 of the bill amends section 151 of the Legislation Act to present the rules for working out periods of time generally in an act or statutory instrument in table form. This is consistent with the approach in section 36 of the commonwealth’s Acts Interpretation Act 1901. This will also make it easier for legislation users to work out periods of time under ACT legislation. The amendment does not change the existing policy on working out periods of time.
For further clarity, the dictionary in part 1 is amended by remaking the definitions of calendar month and month and omitting the definition of named month. The definition of calendar month is being simplified in accordance with current plain language drafting style. The revised definitions of calendar month and month will be consistent with the definitions of those terms in the commonwealth Acts Interpretation Act and are more consistent with how they are generally understood. As a consequence of revising the definitions of calendar month and month, the definition of named month is no longer needed.
Finally, schedule 3 contains technical amendments of legislation that include correcting minor errors, updating language, improving syntax and omitting redundant provisions. In particular, amendments are made to the Electoral Act 1992 and the Government Procurement Act 2001 as a consequence of the amendments to the Legislation Act included in schedule 2. Amendments in schedules 2 and 3 are initiated by the Parliamentary Counsel’s Office.
I would like to thank members for their continuing support for the technical amendments program and for their contribution to the debate this morning. The technical amendments program is another example of the territory leading the way and striving for the best, in this case a modern, high quality, up-to-date, easily accessible statute book.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Bill agreed to in principle.
Leave granted to dispense with the detail stage.
Bill agreed to.
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