STATUTES AMENDMENT AND REPEAL (BUDGET 2012) BILL
17/07/2012
The Hon. K.L. VINCENT (15:49): I would like to very briefly put on the record a couple of comments in relation to two parts of the bill—part 7 and part 15. Firstly, part 7 refers to amendment of the Livestock Act 1997. This amendment, through what I would characterise as a bit of a sneaky method (and I do not think I am alone), seeks to establish a biosecurity levy. Whilst a levy, a tax, a toll or whatever you want to call it may well need to be introduced at some point in the future, this is actually an issue about process rather than a question of whether or not we should have the levy itself.
There is already a process in place to assess exactly what the industry needs in relation to livestock health and organisations such as the South Australian Farmers Federation (SAFF). Usurping this process and just assuming what the outcome will be in enshrining such a levy in legislation now is incredibly presumptuous of the government and the department, and it does them no service in their relationship with their stakeholders in this industry. For this reason, I cannot support the inclusion of this, and I will be supporting the Hon. Ann Bressington’s amendment to remove this part of the bill.
The second part of the bill I take issue with is part 15, which relates to the Summary Procedure Act 1921 and which removes the right to claim costs in the Magistrates Court for indictable offences. I will not rehash the issues that have already been canvassed at length by some other members in both the lower and upper houses regarding this matter, but I will say that I think the Australian Lawyers Alliance and other professionals in the area have made a number of valid points, and for this reason, I will be supporting the opposition’s proposal to remove this from the bill also.
