Page 3825 - Week 12 - Thursday, 29 October 2015
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The final amendment made by this bill relates to claims made by some drivers they are not aware of the suspension of their drivers licence and the implication of this in prosecutions for unlicensed driving. ACT Policing regularly encounter claims from drivers whose licences have been suspended but the driver was not aware of the suspension of their licence. Drivers often claim that they did not receive a licence suspension notice. Under existing provisions in the road transport legislation the Road Transport Authority may serve a notice of licence suspension on a driver in a number of circumstances including where the driver has accumulated more than the maximum number of demerit points, failed to pay infringement notice penalties or failed to comply with an infringement notice management plan.
The amendment provides that where a suspension notice has been sent to a person and police encounter an unlicensed driver and advise the driver of that suspension the driver is taken to be aware that his or her licence has been suspended. Police will advise the Road Transport Authority when they have informed a driver of the drivers licence suspension so that this can be documented in authority records. This will be relevant in circumstances where a driver is subsequently detected driving while unlicensed and claims that he or she did not receive the initial notice of the suspension from the authority and was therefore unaware that he or she should not have been driving. The amendment will ensure that suspended drivers cannot continue to claim to be unaware of the status of their licence once they have been advised by a police officer that the licence is suspended. This amendment supports the government’s commitment to improving road safety and the enforcement of the road transport legislation.
This bill makes a number of important changes to the road transport legislation. These changes will assist enforcement efforts and continues this government’s ongoing efforts of achieving a safe road transport system for all Canberrans. I commend the bill to the Assembly.
Debate (on motion by Mr Smyth) adjourned to the next sitting.
Animal Diseases (Beekeeping) Amendment Bill 2015
Mr Rattenbury, pursuant to notice, presented the bill, its explanatory statement and a Human Rights Act compatibility statement.
Title read by Clerk.
MR RATTENBURY (Molonglo—Minister for Territory and Municipal Services, Minister for Justice, Minister for Sport and Recreation and Minister assisting the Chief Minister on Transport Reform) (11.04): I move:
That this bill be agreed to in principle.
Today I present to the Assembly the Animal Diseases (Beekeeping) Amendment Bill 2015. The bill introduces a new part to the Animal Diseases Act 2005 and provides for the registration of beekeepers in the ACT and the numbering of brood boxes so
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