Page 781 - Week 03 - Thursday, 2 April 2020
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For many, the direct personal risk of coronavirus has been compounded by the loss of their jobs, their business or their investments. Across Canberra there are local businesses who need support, particularly with fixed costs that are mounting during this period. From small cafes and retailers right across this city to the many producers that we have, the providers of services and the clubs and bars, all these businesses that we depend on are going through tough times. We are very fortunate to have people in our community who take risks, who hire staff, who pay taxes and who provide the goods and services that we need. Now more than ever we have to support them. We have to back them.
Governments, as I have said earlier, need to make evidence-based decisions. Now more than ever, we need governments that assess all the information and make wise decisions that will stand us in good stead. The opposition will provide support to the government in these tough times. This is a time for cooperation and tripartisanship. As I said earlier, such times require the opposition to work with the government but also the government to work with the opposition. If the executive need or want to get additional powers, they should be doing so in a way that is consultative and collaborative with all members of this place.
The bill before us essentially gives the government the power to change numerous important pieces of legislation. From tenancy agreements to court proceedings and many other things, all will impact Canberrans. These measures will extend long past the COVID-19 emergency period. The ministers can take it upon themselves to determine that some are required for up to a year after the emergency period ends. There is no opportunity for the Assembly to step in and review these decisions, because many of them are in the form of notifiable instruments. The Assembly cannot even disallow them.
It is concerning to many that these measures are not subject to Assembly oversight. The practical effects of the reduced sittings mean that the government could effectively hold back on tabling instruments for six sitting days, which is potentially six months or even a year away. We have to make sure that we are all vigilant during this time.
It is disappointing that the first time the opposition saw the legislation was yesterday at 3.30 pm. Had we been involved in the process beforehand, we could have given some practical advice about the legislation itself. While some of my colleagues received a briefing the day before, it was not a briefing with the legislation. It was not a briefing with application to the legislation; it was about the intent of the legislation, because the legislation was still being written.
Of course these are very busy times for the government. But, had the opposition been consulted earlier in the piece, we could have advised that disallowable instruments would have been a better way forward than notifiable instruments. As it stands, we have notifiable instruments throughout this complex legislation. It is impossible for us to go through and amend 50 pages of legislation in 12 hours. It simply cannot be done.
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