Hughes Darren: Injury Prevention Rehabilitation and Compensation Amendment Bill — In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee 
Hughes Darren: Injury Prevention Rehabilitation and Compensation Amendment Bill — In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee 
[Volume:660;Page:9252] 
Hon DARREN HUGHES (Senior Whip—Labour) 
: 
 I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. The Opposition views this matter quite seriously because it is a continuation of an approach that has been taken around amendments being submitted by the Opposition. The only mechanism that Opposition parties have in order to have influence on legislation in the Committee of the whole House is by way of amendment. 
There is a series of points to be made here. First of all these are all individual amendments. The value of the next amendment cannot be determined by the fact that there might be several other amendments that contain dates that are different from the one in the amendment we are currently voting for. They are separate amendments. 
Secondly this is legislation about the accident compensation scheme. There is significant political debate about the timing in regard to the dates in the scheme. It has been subject to debate and to submissions during the select committee process. During that time the concept of dates becomes critical to the passage of the bill through Parliament. To rule out all the amendments that have been made simply because a decision has been made about one particular date when there are so many dates around this area I think is very unfair on the Opposition and I do not think it is in the spirit of the ability to make amendments to legislation. 
It follows on from what happened previously when the Opposition put up well-thought-out amendments that were dismissed because the Government said that there might be some sort of fiscal impact on it. Those were taken out as well. What has now been ruled from the Chair is that there will be a determination on Opposition amendments that will deny the ability of the Opposition to make amendments to legislation before Parliament. I regard that as very very serious indeed considering that not only is this important legislation but also from a process point of view the rights of members of Parliament to bring amendments to the legislation before the floor of the Committee is a very very important right and the Chair is proposing to take that away on the basis that there are simply too many. I think that is the wrong way to come towards that determination simply on the balance of other work before the Committee. 
These amendments that have been put in and that are in order ought to be voted on by the Committee on their own merits and the Government can vote against them. That is the choice before the Committee. But forcing the Committee into a position whereby Opposition amendments are considered only on the basis of what is going on that day which appears to be what is happening I think is a hugely retrograde step and it actually takes away rights from the Opposition that I regard as being quite serious. I ask you to give some serious consideration to that Mr Chairperson because it may be an issue that we need to seek the view of the Speaker on.