Alert Digest No 3 of 2014
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No. 3 of 2014 Tuesday, 11 March 2014 On the following Bills Corrections Amendment (Parole) Bill 2014 Education and Training Reform Amendment (Registration of Early Childhood Teachers and Victorian Institute of Teaching) Bill 2014 Fences Amendment Bill 2014 Gambling and Liquor Legislation Amendment (Reduction of Red Tape) Bill 2014 Honorary Justices Bill 2014 Mental Health Bill 2014 Transport (Safety Schemes Compliance and Enforcement) Bill 2014 Vexatious Proceedings Bill 2014 aalertlert iinside.ainside.ai 1 220/08/20130/08/2013 11:13:31:13:31 PPMM The Committee Chairperson Deputy Chairperson Ms Ann Barker MLA Mr Michael Gidley MLA Hon. Richard Dalla-Riva MLC Hon. Chrisne Campbell MLA Member for Oakleigh Member for Mount Waverley Member for Eastern Metropolitan Member for Pascoe Vale Mr Don Nardella MLA Dr Bill Sykes MLA Mr Graham Wa MLA Member for Melton Member for Benalla Member for Burwood C Parliament House, Spring Street M Melbourne Victoria 3002 Commiee Staff Y Telephone: (03) 8682 2895 Mr Andrew Homer, Senior Legal Adviser CM Facsimilie: (03) 8682 2858 Ms Helen Mason, Legal Adviser - Regulaons Email: [email protected] Mr Simon Dinsbergs, Business Support Officer MY Web: www.parliament.vic.gov.au/sarc Ms Sonya Caruana, Office Manager CY CMY K Terms of Reference - Scrutiny of Bills The funcons of the Scruny of Acts and Regulaons Commiee are – (a) to consider any Bill introduced into the Council or the Assembly and to report to the Parliament as to whether the Bill directly or indirectly – (i) trespasses unduly upon rights or freedoms; (ii) makes rights, freedoms or obligaons dependent upon insufficiently defined administrave powers; (iii) makes rights, freedoms or obligaons dependent upon non-reviewable administrave decisions; (iv) unduly requires or authorises acts or pracces that may have an adverse effect on personal privacy within the meaning of the InformaƟon Privacy Act 2000; (v) unduly requires or authorises acts or pracces that may have an adverse effect on privacy of health informaon within the meaning of the Health Records Act 2001; (vi) inappropriately delegates legislave power; (vii) insufficiently subjects the exercise of legislave power to parliamentary scruny; (viii) is incompable with the human rights set out in the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilies; (b) to consider any Bill introduced into the Council or the Assembly and to report to the Parliament – (i) as to whether the Bill directly or indirectly repeals, alters or varies secon 85 of the ConsƟtuƟon Act 1975, or raises an issue as to the jurisdicon of the Supreme Court; (ii) if a Bill repeals, alters or varies secon 85 of the ConsƟtuƟon Act 1975, whether this is in all the circumstances appropriate and desirable; (iii) if a Bill does not repeal, alter or vary secon 85 of the ConsƟtuƟon Act 1975, but an issue is raised as to the jurisdicon of the Supreme Court, as to the full implicaons of that issue; Parliamentary CommiƩees Act 2003, secon 17 Table of Contents Page Nos. Alert Digest No. 3 of 2014 Corrections Amendment (Parole) Bill 2014 1 Fences Amendment Bill 2014 11 Gambling and Liquor Legislation Amendment (Reduction of Red Tape) Bill 2014 13 Honorary Justices Bill 2014 14 Mental Health Bill 2014 15 Transport (Safety Schemes Compliance and Enforcement) Bill 2014 18 Vexatious Proceedings Bill 2014 20 Ministerial Correspondence Education and Training Reform Amendment (Registration of Early Childhood Teachers and Victorian Institute of Teaching) Bill 2014 25 Appendices 1 – Index of Bills in 2014 29 2 – Committee Comments classified by Terms of Reference 31 3 – Ministerial Correspondence 2014 33 i Useful information Role of the Committee The Scrutiny of Acts and Regulations Committee is an all‐party Joint House Committee, which examines all Bills and subordinate legislation (regulations) introduced or tabled in the Parliament. The Committee does not make any comments on the policy merits of the legislation. The Committee’s terms of reference contain principles of scrutiny that enable it to operate in the best traditions of non‐partisan legislative scrutiny. These traditions have been developed since the first Australian scrutiny of Bills committee of the Australian Senate commenced scrutiny of Bills in 1982. They are precedents and traditions followed by all Australian scrutiny committees. Non‐policy scrutiny within its terms of reference allows the Committee to alert the Parliament to the use of certain legislative practices and allows the Parliament to consider whether these practices are necessary, appropriate or desirable in all the circumstances. The Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 provides that the Committee must consider any Bill introduced into Parliament and report to the Parliament whether the Bill is incompatible with human rights. Interpretive use of Parliamentary Committee reports Section 35 (b)(iv) of the Interpretation of Legislation Act 1984 provides – In the interpretation of a provision of an Act or subordinate instrument consideration may be given to any matter or document that is relevant including, but not limited to, reports of Parliamentary Committees. When may human rights be limited Section 7 of the Charter provides – Human rights – what they are and when they may be limited – (2) A human right may be subject under law only to such reasonable limits as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society based on human dignity, equality and freedom, and taking into account all relevant factors including— (a) the nature of the right; and (b) the importance of the purpose of the limitation; and (c) the nature and extent of the limitation; and (d) the relationship between the limitation and its purpose; and (e) any less restrictive means reasonably available to achieve the purpose that the limitation seeks to achieve Glossary and Symbols ‘Assembly’ refers to the Legislative Assembly of the Victorian Parliament ‘Charter’ refers to the Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 ‘Council’ refers to the Legislative Council of the Victorian Parliament ‘DPP’ refers to the Director of Public Prosecutions for the State of Victoria ‘human rights’ refers to the rights set out in Part 2 of the Charter ‘IBAC’ refers to the Independent Broad‐based Anti‐corruption Commission ‘penalty units’ refers to the penalty unit fixed from time to time in accordance with the Monetary Units Act 2004 and published in the government gazette (as from 1 July 2013 one penalty unit equals $144.36 ) ‘Statement of Compatibility’ refers to a statement made by a member introducing a Bill in either the Council or the Assembly as to whether the provisions in a Bill are compatible with Charter rights ‘VCAT’ refers to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal [ ] denotes clause numbers in a Bill ii Alert Digest No. 3 of 2014 Corrections Amendment (Parole) Bill 2014 Introduced 18 February 2014 Second Reading Speech 18 February 2014 House Legislative Council Member introducing Bill Hon Edward O’Donohue MLC Portfolio responsibility Minister for Corrections Background In November 1988 the Supreme Court sentenced Julian Knight to seven life sentences with a non‐ parole period of 27 years. The prisoner had pleaded guilty to seven counts of murder and 46 counts of attempted murder following a shooting rampage in Clifton Hill on 9 August 1987. The rampage left 7 dead and another 19 persons seriously injured. In his sentencing remarks the presiding judge, Mr Justice Hampel described the offending as ‘one of the worst massacres in Australian history’.1 At the time of sentencing the prisoner was 19 years old. The prisoner will be eligible to apply for parole in May 2014. Purpose The Bill inserts a new section 74AA2 (‘the amendment’) in the Corrections Act 1986 to provide for additional conditions for the making of a parole order for the prisoner Julian Knight. The Bill also provides that the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 (‘the Charter’) has no application to the amendment and specifically, that section 31(7) of the Charter (expiry of the override after 5 years) does not apply to the amendment. The Committee notes that the Minister has made an override statement supporting an override declaration in the course of the second reading speech. 1 R v Knight [1989] VR 705. Also available online at <http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/vic/VicRp/1989/62.html> 2 74AA. Conditions for making a parole order for Julian Knight (1) The Board must not make a parole order under section 74 in respect of the prisoner Julian Knight unless an application for the order is made to the Board by or on behalf of the prisoner. (2) The application must be lodged with the Secretary of the Board. (3) After considering the application, the Board may make an order under section 74 in respect of the prisoner Julian Knight if, and only if, the Board— (a) is satisfied (on the basis of a report prepared by the Secretary to the Department of Justice) that the prisoner— (i) is in imminent danger of dying, or is seriously incapacitated, and as a result he no longer has the physical ability to do harm to any person; and (ii) has demonstrated that he does not pose a risk to the community; and (b) is further satisfied that, because of those circumstances, the making of the order is justified. (4) The Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 has no application to this section. (5) Without limiting subsection (4), section 31(7) of the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 does not apply to this section. (6) In this section a reference to the prisoner Julian Knight is a reference to the Julian Knight who was sentenced by the Supreme Court in November 1988 to life imprisonment for each of 7 counts of murder.".