Urgency

I move, That urgency be accorded the passing through all stages of the Road User Charges (Temporary RUC Reduction Scheme) Amendment Bill (No 2); and the Returning Offenders (Management and Information) Amendment Bill.

By moving this motion, I am asking the House to consider and pass two bills, both of which need to be enacted with urgency. On 1 February, the Government announced a package of cost of living support for families and businesses. This included the reintroduction of the road-user charge discount. The Road User Charges (Temporary RUC Reduction Scheme) Amendment Bill (No 2) enables the reintroduction to take place. It is intended that the reintroduction discount will come into effect on 1 March. It is, therefore, essential that the bill is passed under urgency.

The Returning Offenders (Management and Information) Amendment Bill is intended to clarify that the principal Act applies to returning offenders whose offending predated the Act’s commencement on 18 November 2015, following a High Court decision that called this into question. The bill also provides that the Commissioner of Police must not provide notice or the right to be heard to the affected person before making determinations about their status as a returning prisoner. The quick enactment of this bill is essential to ensure that returning offenders are treated appropriately, according to the level of threat that they present.

I would like to acknowledge members of the Business Committee, following a constructive discussion about today’s business at the committee meeting yesterday.