Statutes Amendment Bill (No 3)

I move, That the Statutes Amendment Bill (No 3) be now read a second time. This bill was introduced into the House on 10 December 2002 and provided for unrelated minor amendments to a number of different Acts that are currently in force. As reported back from the Government Administration Committee, the bill proposes amendments to 41 different Acts and includes two new parts, for which the committee gave leave to be introduced into the bill. The first of those new parts is Part 20A, which includes proposed amendments to the Local Government (Rating) Act. The objective is to advance the day after which regulations may be made to prescribe how local authorities may assess rates for sewage disposal in relation to land for educational establishments. The Minister of Education sought to advance the date after which such regulations can be put into force from 1 July 2007 to 1 July 2003. The committee agreed to amend the date, although it recommended that the date be set at 1 July 2004.

A second new part in the bill is Part 36A, which proposes amendments to the Trade Marks Act. The committee supported the inclusion of this amendment, which corrects a cross-reference on the basis that it was of a minor and technical nature. The committee has also approved the inclusion of a new proposed amendment to the Misuse of Drugs Act in Part 23. This proposed amendment would update the definition of a member of the police to take into account an international reorganisation of branches of the military police.

The committee has reported the bill back with minor amendments to Parts 1 and 17, which deal with the Administration Act and the Industrial and Provident Societies Act. It also recommended that the amendment to Part 19 be introduced. This part would amend the Legal Services Act and enable the convenor of the legal services aid review panel to delegate his or her functions to any member of the panel. The committee has recommended a change to the proposed amendment so that the convenor must be satisfied that the member to whom the functions are to be delegated has the capability, skills, and experience to perform or exercise them.

Finally, the committee has also recommended amendments to parts Parts 27 and 31, which respectively amend the Official Information Act and the Privacy Act. The committee’s recommendations in relation to these two parts ensure that the proposed amendments use terminology that is consistent with recent related enactments. I am proposing to introduce a Supplementary Order Paper to the bill to include a further seven amendments, all of which have received cross-party support. I am grateful to party leaders for their support, which will enable these matters to be dealt with—matters that came to light only after the committee had completed its deliberations.

Paradoxically, I am also proposing to object to one amendment—namely, that contained in clause 73, which relates to the Medicines Act. The need for this amendment has been superseded by the passage of the Medicines Amendment Act 2003. The effect of my objection will be to remove clause 73 from the bill.

I would like to thank the chairperson and members of the Government Administration Committee for their efforts in relation to the Statutes Amendment Bill, and the timely manner in which it has been reported back. While Statute Amendment bills may not be the most exciting of bills, nevertheless they are important and necessary tools in the law reform process. I commend the bill to the House.

Bill read a second time.

Procedure