Statutes Amendment (SACAT) Amendment Bill

Second Reading

Adjourned debate on second reading.

(Continued from 3 November 2016.)

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS (Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety) (16:32): I thank honourable members who contributed to the second reading debate on this bill. The intent of this bill is to prevent the jurisdiction of the Public Sector Grievance Review Commission being conferred on the South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (SACAT) on 12 December 2016. If this bill is not passed, SACAT will receive this jurisdiction automatically by virtue of the operation of the provisions of the Acts Interpretation Act 1915.

As part of the government's employment dispute resolution reform agenda, it is proposed that the jurisdiction of the PSGRC be conferred on the South Australian Employment Tribunal in July 2017. The passage of this bill is necessary to avoid the PSGRC jurisdiction being conferred on SACAT automatically in December this year. It would be undesirable for the PSGRC jurisdiction to be conferred on SACAT in December of this year only to be conferred on SAET in July 2017. I commend this bill to members.

Bill read a second time.