Page 206 - Week 01 - Thursday, 13 February 2020
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and its members whether a lawyer could be paid or recover legal costs or fees. We will respond to the society’s concerns, and ensure that there is no uncertainty in this regard, through the bill today, which proposes very straightforward and simple amendments to just two sections of the legislation, 203 and 284, to make it absolutely clear that, from the commencement of the scheme on 1 February, if the government does not regulate the quantum of legal costs and fees under these sections, a lawyer is still able to charge a client legal costs and fees.
It is clear that it was not the government’s intention—or, I believe, the Assembly’s intention—to have a circumstance where legal practitioners were prevented from charging fees in relation to motor accident injury claims. Our initial intention in relation to injured people being able to access legal services was clear in the explanatory statement that accompanied the bill and in correspondence with the legal profession.
The government has decided to closely monitor legal costs and fees on commencement rather than regulate on commencement what legal practitioners can charge for matters under the scheme. To assist with that monitoring, we will require legal practitioners to provide information on legal costs and fees for specific MAI matters to the Motor Accident Injuries Commission. We are currently consulting with the legal profession on a draft regulation to facilitate provision of this information.
The MAI reforms are important. Households have already seen falls in premiums. It is a fair and equitable system that was designed by Canberrans for Canberrans. I commend this bill to the Assembly to remove any doubt that lawyers are able to charge fees under the scheme.
Debate (on motion by Mr Coe) adjourned to the next sitting.
Rates Amendment Bill 2020
Mr Barr, pursuant to notice, presented the bill, its explanatory statement and a Human Rights Act compatibility statement.
Title read by Clerk.
MR BARR (Kurrajong—Chief Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Social Inclusion and Equality, Minister for Tertiary Education, Minister for Tourism and Special Events and Minister for Trade, Industry and Investment) (10.06): I move:
That this bill be agreed to in principle.
This bill amends the Rates Act 2004 to extend the period for the calculation of average unimproved values for parcels of ACT land to up to five years. In doing so, the impact on rates charges for individual properties will be smoothed, particularly where there are significant changes in unimproved values. This continues the government’s process of making our tax system simpler and fairer.
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