Gary Humphries (ACT, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Materiel) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Statute Law Revision Bill 2013 is a bill to correct technical errors caused by drafting and clerical mistakes, to repeal obsolete provisions and acts and to make other technical amendments to legislation.

Bills of this nature are traditionally non-controversial and receive the support of the parliament because they are regarded as an essential tool in the process of keeping the Commonwealth statute books accurate and up to date. The acts to be repealed relating to air passenger ticket levies, imposed as a result of the collapse of the Ansett Group, are self-evidently obsolete. The levy was discontinued in 2003 and all of the mandated distributions have been completed.

Of the acts to be amended, most of the proposals relate to spelling, grammatical and technical errors. A small number of obsolete provisions will be repealed. The bill also proposes amendments to provisions of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901 and the Legislative Instruments Act 2003, which have been rendered redundant by other enactments. The bill is not controversial and has the support of the coalition. I commend the bill to the Senate.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to thank senators for their contribution to the debate and support for this important bill. I commend the bill to the Senate.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.