Page 2977 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 15 September 2015
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government would be impossible—that is no less a tragedy. So I ask those opposite, who would probably count themselves amongst the activists, to consider where we are today where we do have secure borders, where the drownings, the great human tragedy on our borders, have ceased and there are no more drownings so that we will be able as a community and as a nation in future to welcome 12,000 Syrian refugees. That is a great thing.
Let us proceed with some degree of bipartisanship. I advise Ms Berry that if she wants to bring political divisiveness into this place and talk about divisiveness of the federal government, then I would suggest that she do so with caution because when it comes to the facts, when it comes to the evidence, when it comes to welcoming refugees—whether it be under John Howard with the unfolding tragedy we saw in Kosovo or whether it is the current Liberal government—it is the current federal Liberal government and the past federal Liberal government that controlled our borders, welcomed refugees and stopped the drownings which was ultimately the great tragedy on our borders.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Red Tape Reduction Legislation Amendment Bill 2015
Debate resumed from 4 June 2015, on motion by Mr Barr:
That this bill be agreed to in principle.
MR HANSON (Molonglo—Leader of the Opposition) (10.37): Madam Speaker, the opposition will be supporting this legislation. The bill makes amendments to over 70 acts aimed at reducing red tape. There are five significant elements to the bill: firstly, public notices. The bill amends various references in ACT legislation that specifically require a public notice be advertised in the newspaper to allow for selection of the most effective means of communication of achieving public notification. Obviously in a digital age, this is a logical step forward.
Secondly, the bill deals with Access Canberra functions. Access Canberra is established as a regulatory agency and the bill includes amendments to the Public Sector Management Act 1994 to support Access Canberra as a one-stop regulatory agency for business and events.
Amendments to the Hawkers Act 2003 include the licensing of hawkers as part of the Public Unleased Land Act. Requirements for hawkers remain, but duplication between a couple of acts has been removed. Amendments to the Public Unleased Land Act with regard to permits increase them from two to three years, and changes to reporting of wages for workers compensation for insurance purposes mean that reporting requirement is extended from once every six months to once every 12 months.
The Canberra Liberals will always support any sensible measures aimed at reducing regulation, duplication and red tape. But in supporting these changes I note that many of them are about the machinery of government—that is, the reduction in the burden
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