Page 2029 - Week 07 - Thursday, 4 June 2015
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delivery of information to the community and foresees an ongoing contribution of print media in reaching out on public issues. In implementing these changes there will be a transition period where notices, such as those required under the Planning and Development Act, will use both newspaper and digital communication for public notices to ensure there is widespread awareness of how to access this information.
In December 2014 I announced the establishment of Access Canberra to provide a one-stop shop to cut red tape and improve connection to regulatory services for individuals and businesses. This bill includes amendments to the Public Sector Management Act 1994 to allow the head of Access Canberra to exercise and delegate relevant functions in undertaking this role.
In progressing the government’s regulatory reforms, as well as specific legislative amendments such as these, we will continue to work closely with industry and the community. The regulatory reform panel is a key forum for feedback on those regulations that impose unnecessary burdens, costs or disadvantages on business activity within the territory. The government is committed to an ongoing program of reform and will continue to engage with stakeholders, including the panel, on opportunities to reduce red tape in the territory.
This bill reduces the reporting requirement required of employers in the territory for workers compensation insurance. At present, employers in the territory are required to provide a six-monthly statement—a “wage declaration”—to their insurer describing the number of paid and unpaid workers, total wages paid and the approximate amount of time each paid and unpaid worker worked for the employer in the reporting period. The amendments I present today introduce a change to annual reporting by employers to insurers under the Workers Compensation Act 1951. It is estimated this will remove around 70,000 extra administrative transactions each year. In streamlining these reporting requirements for all employers, it is also important that we maintain the integrity of the regulatory system. The bill includes a requirement on employers to advise insurers if the employer’s estimate of total wages is understated by more than $500,000 during the reporting period.
The bill will also repeal the Hawkers Act 2003. The activities of hawkers can be regulated under the Public Unleased Land Act 2013, which applies to all activities on public land. There is no public benefit in retaining a separate act to regulate one specific activity. This also makes it clearer for businesses. This bill includes transitional provisions for existing hawker licences to continue under the Public Unleased Land Act 2013.
The amendments also will increase the maximum period for permits issued under the Public Unleased Land Act 2013 from two to three years. The use of public unleased land may be for an event, such as holding a concert; an activity, such as holding a market; or placing an object on public land, such as a waste skip. A permit is required under the act to use public land that may impact on its amenity or on other people’s enjoyment of the land.
The Justice and Community Safety Legislation (Red Tape Reduction Bill No.1—Licence Periods) Amendment Act 2013 amended a number of acts to extend the
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