Third Readings

I move, That the Animal Welfare Amendment Bill, the Biosecurity Amendment Bill, the Cadastral Survey Amendment Bill, the Child Support Amendment Bill, the Civil Aviation Amendment Bill, the Commerce Amendment Bill, the Continental Shelf Amendment Bill, the Corrections Amendment Bill, the Criminal Investigations (Bodily Samples) Amendment Bill, the Dairy Industry Restructuring Amendment Bill, the Defence Amendment Bill, the District Courts Amendment Bill, the Flags, Emblems, and Names Protection Amendment Bill, the Forests Amendment Bill, the Gambling Amendment Bill, the Government Superannuation Fund Amendment Bill, the Incorporated Societies Amendment Bill, the Judicature Amendment Bill, the Maritime Transport Amendment Bill, the Ombudsmen Amendment Bill, the Personal Property Securities Amendment Bill, the Radiocommunications Amendment Bill, the Receiverships Amendment Bill, the Retirement Villages Amendment Bill, the Ship Registration Amendment Bill, the Territorial Sea, Contiguous Zone, and Exclusive Economic Zone Amendment Bill, the Trade Marks Amendment Bill, the Valuers Amendment Bill, the Weights and Measures Amendment Bill, and the Wine Amendment Bill be now read a third time. I take this opportunity to thank a number of people who have been instrumental in the passage of this statutes amendment legislation, beginning with the members of the Government Administration Committee. The legislation covers a vast area of subject matter and involved some unique challenges. I thank the select committee members for all the time and effort they put in. I thank the many officials who contributed; a total of 12 ministries or departments put forward amendments and provided advice. I thank the Minister responsible for the legislation during the term of the last Parliament, the Hon Rick Barker. He did an excellent job of progressing the legislation and enhancing the processes involved in managing this legislation and other Statutes Amendment bills. I commend the bills to the House.

I will take just a short call to talk about this omnibus legislation as a whole. Of course, the National Party supports it. I particularly thank my colleagues for their contributions in the Committee stage, and I thank the Chair for his patience. I want to say again, though, how disappointing it was, when we had this legislation put before the House and it went through the process, to be then presented with a Supplementary Order Paper in the Committee stage that makes amendments to the Child Support Act, given that just last week in the House we had the first reading of a bill to amend the Child Support Act. It is not right that the Government should seek to put through Supplementary Order Papers like that instead of following the democratic process.

The changes that are being made to the Child Support Act correct sloppy legislation—they correct mistakes that have been made in it. It is not right that that should be done through a Supplementary Order Paper; it should be done through the proper processes of the House, so that the Government is held to account. If the Government passes shoddy legislation, then the public has a right to know that and to take part in a process that highlights that matter. I think it is poor government, and it reflects very badly on this Government, that it is quickly building a record of poor and incompetent management of legislation as it proceeds through the House.

I do not make those comments lightly, but I know that the child support legislation we debated last week was referred to a select committee with no time limit for it to be reported back. In terms of the rules of the House, it has to be reported back within 6 months. It could have had a time limit put on it that would have brought it back to the House speedily, so that these amendments could have been incorporated and passed in time. We did not get that. That bill could well have been introduced to the House earlier than the week before last in the sitting programme, if it was as urgent as that, so that it was able to go through the normal processes whereby the public has an opportunity to see the mistakes that the Government has made and to comment on them. It is not right that we sneak the amendments through by means of a Supplementary Order Paper introduced in the Committee stage, and see the legislation immediately proceed to the third reading.

Although the National Party is happy to support the legislation, we put it on the record that it is disappointing that the Government again shows such incompetence, poor management, and poor legislative drafting that we have to come back and correct mistakes that were made.

Bills read a third time.