Wilkinson Kate: Real Estate Agents Bill — Second Reading In Committee Third Reading 
Wilkinson Kate: Real Estate Agents Bill — Second Reading In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:649;Page:18438] 
KATE WILKINSON (National) 
: 
 I will be taking just a very short call in relation to clauses 1 and 2—in particular clause 2 which is the commencement date. The bill has certain sections that come into force on the day after the date that it receives the Royal assent with the rest of it coming into force—according to the bill—12 months after it receives that Royal assent. I am aware of course that there is a Supplementary Order Paper containing an amendment by the Minister in the chair the Hon Clayton Cosgrove that increases the 12-month commencement date in relation to those sections by 2 months to 14 months. Concern has still been raised that the commencement date is far too soon to enable an industry to change its rules. This bill is reforming an industry and that industry needs sufficient time to be able to do that properly. As a comparison the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act had a 2-year transitional period for that regime to come into place. We would suggest—and submitters have suggested it—that 2 years is actually much more realistic than the amended 14 months that has been prescribed in this bill. 
When we look at what is required to put into effect this new real estate regime we see that there has to be a Real Estate Agency Authority set up. That authority has to appoint complaints assessment committees. The authority has to maintain a panel of 20 persons for those complaints assessment committees and the Real Estate Agents Disciplinary Tribunal also has to be formed and constituted. So we have to make sure that we are responsible in allowing sufficient time for those various bodies to be set up. 
When we are looking at time limits it is also interesting to note that—as I understand it—the current code of conduct for the real estate industry has been on the Minister’s desk awaiting approval since February of this year which is some 7 months. If the Minister’s amendment to the commencement date of 14 months is agreed to in the Committee this afternoon it will take half of that time just to approve the code of conduct. I think we have to be realistic and I think we have to be responsible in enabling a sufficient time for this regime—it is a totally new regime and a total reformation of the real estate industry—to be put in place. I seek the Minister’s assurance that he is confident that 14 months is sufficient to do this job properly. 
Hon Clayton Cosgrove 
: Absolutely. 
KATE WILKINSON 
: I thank the Minister for that interjection. He has given us his absolute confirmation that 14 months is sufficient. Obviously in the event he is proved incorrect we will certainly be reminding him of the assurance that he has given in this Committee this afternoon. 
Apart from that we still have concerns about the commencement date. We do not think that the concession of increasing it from 12 months to 14 months will be that material. The industry believes—and National supports it in that respect—that 2 years is a more realistic time frame. But once again let it be recorded for the record that the Minister gave his absolute assurance that he is confident that 14 months will be sufficient for this purpose.