On Thursday a new member of the Legislative Council was elected at a joint sitting of the two Houses, and four bills were passed and returned to the Legislative Assembly. Let’s delve further into the proceedings to learn more!
Commission to Administer the Pledge of Loyalty or Oath of Allegiance to Members
At the start of the day, the President reported receipt of a Commission authorising the Deputy President, Mr Fang, to administer the pledge of loyalty or oath of allegiance.
Under the NSW Constitution, before a member can sit or vote in the House, they must take a pledge of loyalty or oath of allegiance before the Governor or another person authorised by the Governor. The Governor authorises the President, Deputy President and Assistant President to be the person a member can take the pledge or oath before.
Joint sitting to elect Sue Higginson to the Legislative Council
Proceedings were interrupted on Thursday for a joint sitting of the Legislative Council and the Legislative Assembly to elect a member to fill the seat vacated in the Legislative Council following the resignation of Mr David Shoebridge (reported in the House on Wednesday, following Mr Shoebridge’s valedictory in April).
Ms Sue Higginson (The Greens) was elected as the newest member of the Legislative Council. The next step is for Ms Higginson to be sworn in, which is expected on Tuesday 17 May, and to give her first speech on Tuesday night. See further details in next Tuesday’s blog.
Mining and Petroleum Legislation Amendment Bill 2022
Consideration of the Mining and Petroleum Legislation Amendment Bill 2022 in committee of the whole continued on Thursday. The bill makes a number of amendments to the Mining Act 1992 and the Petroleum (Onshore) Act 1992 and establishes the Royalties for Rejuvenation Fund. See Tuesday’s blog for more details on the bill and on government and opposition amendments already considered.
Mr Latham (Pauline Hanson’s One Nation) moved two amendments which were both lost on division, before committee of the whole was interrupted for question time and lunch. After lunch, the House went back into committee and considered nine more amendments from Mr Latham. These were all negatived – eight on the voices and one on division.
An unusual thing happened next. Rather than resolve out of committee of the whole and report the amended bill to the House, the House stayed in committee to reconsider part of it. Reconsideration of a clause in a bill occurs under standing order 146 as an amendment to the question “That the Chair report the bill to the House”. On Minister Farraway (Nationals) moving that the Chair of Committees report the bill, Mr Farlow (Liberal Party) moved that this be amended so that the House reconsider Schedule 1[123].
Minister Farraway then moved two amendments to the bill, to which Mr Latham moved a further amendment to Minister Farraway’s first amendment. Mr Latham’s amendment was negatived and both of Minister Farraway’s amendments were agreed to.
The House then came out of committee of the whole in the usual way. Mr Latham also moved an amendment to the third reading of the bill. He moved that, rather than the bill be read a third time, it instead be referred to the Public Accountability Committee for inquiry and report. This amendment was lost on division. The House then agreed to the third reading of the bill and the bill was returned to the Assembly with amendments.
Reconsidering a clause of a bill is a relatively unusual occurrence, it last occurred in 2020 in relation to the Liquor Amendment (24-Hour) Economy Bill 2020.
Electronic Conveyancing (Adoption of National Law) Amendment Bill 2022
Following the bill’s reinstatement to the Notice Paper on Tuesday, debate concluded on the Electronic Conveyancing (Adoption of National Law) Amendment Bill 2022, with the bill progressing through all remaining stages in the Upper House. The bill seeks to amend Electronic Conveyancing National Law as set out in the Electronic Conveyancing (Adoption of National Law) Act 2012. The amendments will further the development of a national scheme for the electronic lodgement and processing of conveyancing transactions. You can find Mr Martin’s second reading speech (on behalf of Minister Tudehope) and members’ contributions to the second reading debate in Hansard.
In committee of the whole, one Opposition amendment was moved by Mr Veitch (Labor). This amendment was negatived on division, 11 ayes to 18 noes. The bill was then read a third time and returned to the Assembly without amendment.
Work Health and Safety (Mines and Petroleum Sites) Amendment Bill 2022
Debate also concluded on the Work Health and Safety (Mines and Petroleum Sites) Amendment Bill 2022 after the bill’s introduction on Tuesday. The bill seeks to amend the Work Health and Safety (Mines and Petroleum Sites Act 2013 to give effect to the recommendations of Independent Reviewer Mr Kym Bills’ report on the 2020 statutory review of the work health and safety mines and petroleum site laws, which was prepared for the Resources Regulator and tabled in Parliament in 2020.
You can find Minister Mitchell’s second reading speech and members’ contributions to the second reading debate in Hansard. During committee of the whole, Ms Boyd (The Greens) moved one amendment, which was negatived on the voices. The third reading of the bill was agreed to on the voices and the bill was returned to the Assembly without amendment.
Racing and Gambling Legislation Amendment Bill 2022
The Racing and Gambling Legislation Amendment Bill 2022 was introduced to the House on Tuesday, with the bill moving to the second reading stage on Thursday. The bill seeks to The Racing and Gambling Legislation Amendment Bill 2022 was introduced to the House on Tuesday, with the bill moving to the second reading stage on Thursday. The bill seeks to amend four pieces of legislation to enhance the regulation of the NSW greyhound and harness racing industries by establishing governance, integrity and consultation frameworks; to establish a new avenue for appeal for harness racing participants; and to enhance consumer protections relating to online wagering. You can read the Minister’s speech and other contributions to the second reading debate in Hansard.
The following amendments were moved in committee of the whole:
- Ms Hurst (Animal Justice Party) moved nine amendments, all negatived on division
- Ms Boyd (The Greens) moved five amendments, all negatived, one on division and the remaining four on the voices
- Mr Latham (Pauline Hanson’s One Nation) moved two amendments, both negatived on division.
Following the committee stage, the bill was reported without amendment, read a third time on the voices and returned to the Assembly.
Address to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the occasion of her Platinum Jubilee
Debate continued on the Government’s motion that an Address be adopted to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the occasion of her Platinum Jubilee – you can find background to the motion in our previous blog.
To read the full contributions made to the debate, see Hansard.
The motion was agreed to on the voices. The Address to the Queen will now be presented to the Governor by the President with a request that it be forwarded to Her Majesty.