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Parliamentary Committees (Amendment) Bill
Circulation Print
EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
General
The Parliamentary Committees (Amendment) Bill amends the
Parliamentary Committees Act 1968 to--
· establish three (3) new Joint Parliamentary Committees; and
· decrease the number of members who can be appointed to the
Public Accounts and Estimates Committee to 9 members
bringing it into alignment with the number of members who
can be appointed to the other Joint Investigatory Committees
under that Act; and
· insert transitional provisions relating to the Scrutiny of Acts
and Regulations Committee.
Clause Notes
Clause 1 states the purpose of the proposed Act.
Clause 2 is the commencement provision. The proposed Act will
commence operation on the day after which it receives Royal
Assent.
Clause 3 defines the Parliamentary Committees Act 1968 as the
Principal Act for the purposes of this proposed Act.
Clause 4 amends the definition of "Joint House Committee" in section 3(1)
of the Parliamentary Committees Act 1968 to reflect the
creation of three new Joint House Committees, namely, the Rural
and Regional Services and Development Committee, the Outer
Suburban/Interface Services and Development Committee and
the Education and Training Committee.
Clause 5 amends section 4 of the Parliamentary Committees Act 1968 to
provide for the establishment of the three additional Joint House
Committees of the Council and the Assembly.
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Clause 6 amends section 4B of the Parliamentary Committees Act 1968
to reduce the membership of the Public Accounts and Estimates
Committee to 9 members and to repeal section 4B(3)(aa)
referring to the quorum applicable to a Committee having
10 members as there will no longer be a Joint House Committee
comprising of 10 members. The effect of these amendments is
that all Joint House Committees can have up to 9 members.
Clause 7 inserts in the Parliamentary Committees Act 1968 transitional
provisions regarding the Scrutiny of Acts and Regulations
Committee. This clause enables the Committee to review
statutory rules laid before Parliament prior to the first
appointment of members to the Committee in the 55th Parliament
and Acts passed between 25 February and 1 April 2003.
These amendments are similar to amendments included in the
1999 changes made to the Parliamentary Committees Act
1968.
Clause 8 amends the Parliamentary Committees Act 1968 to insert new
sections 4EDA, 4EDB and 4EDC. Each of those new sections
sets out the functions of the three new Joint House Committees.
The functions of the three committees are as follows--
· Section 4EDA provides that the Rural and Regional
Services and Development Committee can inquire into,
consider and report on any proposal, matter or thing
concerned with the provision of services to, or
development of, Regional Victoria. "Regional Victoria"
has the same definition as in the Regional
Infrastructure Development Fund Act 1999.
· Section 4EDB provides that the Outer
Suburban/Interface Services and Development
Committee can inquire into, consider and report on any
proposal, matter or thing concerned with the provision
of services to, or development of, or expansion of, new
urban regions. "Urban regions" is defined as being
those remaining regions of Victoria not covered by
the definition of "Regional Victoria" in the new
section 4EDA.
· Section 4EDC provides that the Education and Training
Committee can inquire into, consider and report on any
proposal, matter or thing concerned with education
and/or training.
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Clause 9 makes a statute law revision amendment to section 53 of the
Parliamentary Committees Act 1968. The relevant provisions
to which that section refers are now contained in the
Constitution Act 1975 and not in The Constitution Act
Amendment Act 1958.
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