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| Madam Speaker, I move that the bill now be read a second time. The main purpose of this bill is to make consequential amendments to various Northern Territory laws, update superseded references, correct typographical and grammatical errors and omissions, and clarify ambiguous terminologies in the affected acts and subordinate legislation. None of the amendments constitute substantive changes in policy or programs of government. The bill amends various acts by replacing all references to the ‘consolidated fund’ ‘consolidated revenue fund’ and ‘consolidated account’ with the ‘central holding authority’. Following early amendments to the Financial Management Act, the definition of ‘consolidated revenue account’ was defined in the Interpretation Act to mean ‘the Central Holding Authority’. However, this was intended to be a temporary measure and it is now considered appropriate to update all of the items of relevant legislation to reflect this change. The bill amends section 7(2) of the Legislative Assembly Members’ Superannuation Fund Act to increase the time required for tabling annual reports in parliament from three sitting days to six sitting days. This amendment was made to align the time requirements for the tabling of reports with other statutory bodies which have a six day tabling rule. Section 99(7) of the Firearms Act is amended by substituting a cross reference to section 102, which should now be in section 93D of the act. The Motor Vehicles Act is amended by omitting the current definition of ‘Road Transport Charges Laws’ in section 5(1) and substituting reference to the National Transport Commission Road Transport Legislation Road Transport Charges Act regulations 2006 Commonwealth. This amendment is required because the current definition of Road Transport Charges Laws refers to the Road Transport Charges (Northern Territory) Act which is no longer in force. The bill also amends the definition of ‘configuration’ in the Motor Vehicles Act to refer to Road Transport Charges Laws. This is to clarify that the Road Transport Charges (Australian Capital Territory) Act of 1993 of the Commonwealth now exists in the National Transport Commission Road Transport Legislation Road Transport Charges Act Regulations 2006 Commonwealth. Additionally, the bill repeals section 13(1)(a) as the fees for heavy vehicles now prescribed in the Motor Vehicles Fees and Charges regulations which provide the registration fees for heavy vehicles as set by reference to the National Transport Commission Road Transport Legislation Road Transport Charges Act Regulations 2006 Commonwealth. Therefore, it is not necessary to make the distinction between vehicles of the kind to which to the Road Transport Charges Laws apply. This bill amends an incorrect description in section 1982 of the Consumer Affairs and Fair Trading Act. Section 1982 refers to the amount, if any, prescribed as a penalty for default in the context of failing to pay an annual licence fee. However, section 1982 incorrectly describes this amount as a penalty when there is no offence attached, therefore it cannot be a penalty, rather it is a fee. The proposed amendment will remove the words ‘as a penalty’ to provide that the section reads ‘the amount, if any, prescribed for default’. There are other amendments made by the bill which are of a very minor nature and are generally self-explanatory. I commend the bill to honourable members and table a copy of the explanatory statement Debate adjourned. |