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Parliamentary Questions


Question Without Notice No. 1341 asked in the Legislative Council on 25 November 2020 by Hon Simon O’Brien

Parliament: 40 Session: 1

VETERINARY PRACTICE BILL 2020

1341. Hon SIMON O'BRIEN to the Minister for Agriculture and Food:

I refer to the Veterinary Practice Bill 2020.

(1) Am I correct in my presumption that this legislation is so urgent that it had to be introduced the day before Parliament finishes?

(2) If so, after the Standing Committee on Uniform Legislation and Statutes Review reports on this bill on or about 9 January, will the minister insist that Parliament be recalled to deal with the bill?

(3) If no to (2), why has the minister introduced the bill?

Hon ALANNAH MacTIERNAN replied:

I thank the member for the question.

(1)–(3) This bill has been kicking around since 2006. If members recall, as I set out in the second reading speech, there was an agreement in 2006 that we would move towards mutual recognition. As I also referenced in the second reading speech, in 1995 we entered into an agreement to change the rules on the ownership of vet practices. This, of course, has taken some time. Obviously, I think members opposite were in government for about eight and a half years, and not a lot of progress was made.

When I came into government, a version of the bill was put up to me. Unfortunately, that version of the bill was not terribly competent, as it turned out. We had—I would love to have an opportunity to talk about it one day—some very deep, profound problems with the legal department of the old Department of Agriculture at that time, which we eventually sorted out. After getting a new and very professional legal team onto the case and doing detailed work, we have done it, and we have it! I wanted to make sure that from 2006 to now, now that we actually have a bill, that I would get it before the house. Hopefully, when we come back after the next election, this piece of legislation will be ready to go. Members would have had ample time to review it, and I look forward to their fulsome support.

Several members interjected.

The PRESIDENT: Order!