Parliamentary Committees

Legislative Review Committee: Information Guide

The SPEAKER: I call the member for Kavel.

Mr CREGAN (Kavel) (11:10): Thank you, Mr Speaker, and I acknowledge that you would otherwise have performed this task but of course have been elevated to your present role, so it gives me great pleasure to perform it instead. As you yourself would be closely aware, but as I—

The SPEAKER: Member for Kavel, I am I loath to interrupt; I think leave may be required.

Mr CREGAN: Indeed it is. I was just endeavouring to provide a very enthusiastic preamble. I move:

That the report of the committee, entitled Legislative Review Committee Information Guide, be noted.

I otherwise continue my remarks. As I was indicating to the house—

The SPEAKER: Member for Kavel, I take that as seeking leave?

Mr CREGAN: Yes.

The SPEAKER: Leave is sought; is that seconded?

An honourable member: Yes, sir.

Leave granted.

Mr CREGAN: I am not to be undone in my enthusiasm, Mr Speaker. As you yourself are closely familiar with, the new information guide for the committee is a particularly useful document to assist ministers and their departments engaging with the committee. As members will appreciate, the committee works to provide parliamentary oversight of 400 or more instruments which are delegated by parliament to the executive branch of government and which perform much of the work of government in view of the increasing tendency for detailed instructions or machinery to be contained in regulations rather than in overarching legislation.

In that respect, this guide is very useful, and I recommend it to members and most particularly note that it may be of use to ministers. It is also useful for me to refer to and amplify and endorse the remarks made in the other place by the Hon. Nicola Centofanti and not detain us here today; those remarks are complete. It is right that they be made in the other place in view of the fact that the honourable member there is the Chair of the committee. I draw members' attention to those remarks and of course bring up the guide in the house.

Motion carried.