Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

I seek leave to have the second reading speech incorporated in Hansard.

Leave granted.

The speech read as follows—

The Statute Update (Regulations References) Bill 2020 makes minor and technical changes to the Commonwealth statute book to enhance its usability, facilitate interpretation and administration, and promote consistency.

Statute law revision acts and statute stocktake acts have been passed on a regular basis since 1934 as a means of removing obsolete and spent provisions from the statute book and correcting mistakes in drafting. They are traditionally noncontroversial and regarded as an essential means of keeping the Commonwealth statute book accurate and up to date.

The process of statute law revision and update aims to enhance the clarity and efficient use of the statute book. This bill contains one schedule, which updates specific references to regulations in 10 principal acts across the Commonwealth statute book.

These references have become out of date due to the repeal, replacement or renaming of those regulations, or are at risk of becoming out of date in future for these reasons. The bill omits references to specific regulations and specific provisions of regulations, replacing them with more general references to the acts under which the relevant regulations are made. The bill also makes minor consequential amendments to support the operation of the amended provisions, including altering headings and inserting notes.

These ongoing corrections and improvements to legislation are important to ensure that the Commonwealth statute book remains up to date, accurate and user friendly.

I commend this bill to the House.

Debate adjourned.