Commonwealth Numbered Acts

Health Legislation Amendment Act 1982 No. 49 of 1982 - SECT 31

31. (1) Section 106G of the Principal Act is amended-

   (a)  by omitting sub-section (1) and substituting the following
        sub-sections:

''(1) As soon as practicable after a determination of the Minister under
section 106FK takes effect or takes effect as varied, the Minister shall cause
to be prepared a statement setting out particulars of that determination,
including a statement of the reasons for making the determination, which may
take the form of, or include, a reference to, or an abstract from, the report
to the Minister on which the determination is based, together with a statement
setting out any comment which the Minister wishes to make, or any material
which he wishes to present, in relation to the determination.

''(1A) Where a statement is prepared under sub-section (1), the Minister-

   (a)  may, if he thinks fit, cause the statement to be published in the
        Gazette; and

   (b)  shall cause a copy of the statement to be laid before each House of
        the Parliament within 15 sitting days of that House after the
        preparation of the statement.''; and

   (b)  by inserting after sub-section (3) the following sub-section:

''(3A) Nothing in sub-section (2) or (3) limits or prevents the operation of
any rule of absolute privilege relating to the publication by either House of
the Parliament of any document laid before it.''.

(2) Where the Minister, before the commencement of this section, caused to be
published in the Gazette particulars of a determination made by him under
section 23C of the Principal Act, sub-sections 106G (2), (3) and (4) of the
Principal Act continue to apply to and in relation to that publication and to
and in relation to the publication by any person in good faith of a copy of, a
fair extract from, or a fair abstract of, the first-mentioned publication as
if the amendments made by sub-section (1) had not been made.