Page 1316 - Week 04 - Thursday, 30 March 2017
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to comply with specific requirements. One of these requirements concerns the auditing of trust money that the agent may hold. I am introducing a new offence provision for noncompliant agents, which will ultimately save time and money for both the agent and the regulator and will ensure that those few agents who are found to be noncompliant can be penalised in an appropriate and expeditious manner.
This is not to say that all noncompliant agents will necessarily be fined; the regulator will determine the most appropriate resolution based on the facts of the case. This can include taking the agent to ACAT for an occupational discipline order in extreme circumstances. This change provides added reassurance to the community that the regulator is able to take appropriate and proportionate action when needed.
The bill removes breed-specific provisions concerning greyhounds, which were carried over from repealed legislation. As a result of these amendments, greyhounds will no longer need to be muzzled in public places and the prohibition on having control over no more than four greyhounds at a time in a public place is removed. The Transport Canberra and City Services Directorate advises that there is no evidence to suggest that greyhounds are any more dangerous than any other breed of dog and, as such, it makes no sense specifically to regulate for them in this way. Dangerous dogs of any breed are dealt with through other provisions in the legislation. There is broad support from animal welfare bodies, and the RSPCA in particular is a firm supporter of the removal of breed-specific legislation.
The government is reducing unnecessary barriers to those in the ACT wishing to apply for a security employee licence in low risk activities such as selling, inspecting, installing, maintaining and repairing security equipment. Currently, those wishing to obtain these licences, even just to sell equipment, are required to obtain certificate level courses. Most other jurisdictions do not prescribe training requirements or even require licences for these activities. The ACT will now follow suit, based on this government’s commitment to appropriate risk-based regulation, after careful consideration of the evidence.
Currently, there are no registered training providers in the ACT which offer the prescribed technical security training courses for some of these activities, and applicants are currently forced to travel interstate at considerable time and expense as part of their licence application. There is no increased risk to the public by implementing these changes. Compliance checks and security licence applications will continue unchanged for ACT applicants. The Australian Consumer Law also provides safeguards to ensure goods and services remain of a quality that is fit for purpose.
The bill also tightens up the statute book by repealing the Public Bathing Act 1956, which is redundant and serves no purpose in protecting the ACT community. All of the provisions in this act are now duplicated in other existing legislation, such as the Lakes Act 1976.
This bill will deliver tangible benefits to businesses and to the community. It removes unnecessary fees, it reduces paperwork, it removes duplicative processes and it provides the structure for policies that are risk based and proportionate, allowing
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