Dissenting report: Hon Dr Stone MP and Mr Vasta MP
1.1
We do not support this legislation amendment which aims to:
n remove the
Governor-General’s power to disallow or amend any Act of the Legislative Assembly
of the ACT and NT.
1.2
The sections in the self-government Acts that would be repealed by the
Bill provide as follows:
n The Governor General
may disallow a law or part of a law made by the relevant Legislative Assembly
within six months after it is made;
n The Governor General
may recommend to the Administrator of the NT or the ACT Legislative Assembly
any amendments of a law or of another law affected by that law within six
months of the passing of the first law;
n If amendments are
recommended, the time within which the law may be disallowed is extended by
six months from that date;
n Once the disallowance
is published on the Federal Register of Legislative Instruments, the law is
considered to be repealed, and any law that was amended or repealed by the
disallowed law comes back into force.
1.3
We do not support this Bill, although we agree that the matter of the
Territories moving closer to statehood is very important. Such matters should,
however, be carefully debated free of the Greens’ own political agenda in
relation to, for example, changes in marriage or euthanasia legislation.
1.4
Senator Brown has twice previously attempted to introduce Bills
involving the disallowance of laws in the ACT, in 2006 and in 2009. There is
little evidence however that he has made any accommodation for the different
circumstances in the NT, at the same time that it has been included in this Bill.
1.5
The issues of the Territories’ statehood and greater independence should
be the subject of careful, transparent and comprehensive debate leading to a
detailed set of recommendations that include consideration of all of the
constitutional complexities involved in self determination.
Hon. Dr Sharman Stone MP Mr
Ross Vasta MP