Carter David: Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (Transitional Provisions and Controls) Amendment Bill — Instruction to Committee In Committee  
Carter David: Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (Transitional Provisions and Controls) Amendment Bill — Instruction to Committee In Committee  
[Volume:616;Page:11758] 
Hon DAVID CARTER (National) 
: 
 I was not going to take a call because I was not involved in the select committee process not being a member of the Education and Science Committee but I become concerned when I listen to the contributions by the chair of the committee the Hon Brian Donnelly and by my colleague the Hon Dr Nick Smith. I become even more concerned when the Minister sits there solemnly and does not answer any of the questions raised. As I study the bill and the commentary on the bill it seems to me that in good faith this legislation was advanced as a means of minimising a lot of the significant cost burdens that have been thrust on industry by the original hazardous substances and new organisms legislation. If that be the case then I am supportive and as has been already stated by my colleague Dr Paul Hutchison the National Party supports the legislation. 
But I become concerned when there are so many examples of the Government spinning itself out of control by advancing legislation that it says is going to deliver a more cost-effective regime to industry and then we find when we take all the gloss and spin away that in actual fact this bill does not deliver as we as members of Parliament are told it will. So I think the Minister should take a call and take the opportunity of assuring us that this legislation will bring around a much-reduced cost structure to industry. 
The other point I want to pick up on is the superb point made by the Hon Brian Donnelly. He talked about the increasing disregard for the process of Parliament by which legislation is introduced in a rush and sent to a select committee with a very sharp report-back date required so that submissioners do not have the opportunity to sensibly construct a submission. The select committee often then does not have the opportunity to sensibly consider the submission before a report-back deadline is reached and the issue is back before the House. 
When we look through some of the legislation sitting on the Order Paper we see that this legislation has been rushed through. It was reported back from the select committee only 2 weeks ago. Yet a number of other pieces of legislation that were reported back over 12 months ago—the Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill is one—still sit on the Order Paper. I see that some of the Labour members agree. It seems strange that there is such pressure to rush this legislation through and abuse the select committee process. Yet there is other legislation well and truly reported back for which people have made submissions under the due process and been given time to make sensible considered submissions on that for some reason sits on the Order Paper. 
Hon Ken Shirley 
: The Conservation (Protection of Trout as a Non-commercial Species) Amendment Bill was reported 3 years ago. 
Hon DAVID CARTER 
: The Hon Ken Shirley identifies another bill that has been sitting on the Order Paper for 3 years yet we have this rushed process. So I support entirely the comments of the Hon Brian Donnelly because I think too often the Government in its rush to make sure the legislation does not get examined sufficiently does not make the opportunity available for people to make submissions and receive a considered and respectable airing at a select committee. It makes the people suspicious that in actual fact the objectives and the purpose of this legislation are not quite as the Government has described it. So the Minister can certainly take a call and take an opportunity of satisfying me that my fears are ungrounded. I think it would be admirable if the purposes of the legislation were fulfilled and the legislation as reported back meant that the cost structures—under which many many industries are operating and are affected by the original hazardous substances and new organisms legislation —are significantly reduced and I look forward to the Minister’s contribution in that regard.