Statutes Amendment and Repeal (Simplify) Bill

Second Reading

Adjourned debate on second reading.

(Continued from 1 March 2017.)

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Employment, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation, Minister for Automotive Transformation, Minister for Science and Information Economy) (11:46): I would like to thank honourable members who have contributed to the debate on the second reading of this bill. This bill was introduced in the other place on 15 November 2016, coinciding with the government's first Simplify Day. The bill makes a number of changes to 26 acts, including, amongst others, the Electronic Transactions Act 2000 and the Motor Vehicles Act 1959.

As an example, and I think this is an important example, the bill will assist in modernising current legislation through amendments to the Electronic Transactions Act 2000 and the Motor Vehicles Act 1959 to allow the issuing of documents by means of electronic communication. These amendments also enable the introduction at a future time of secure access to the provision of digital licences, permits, exemptions or other authorisations or documents, such as land agent licences.

Further, the bill proposes the repeal of 11 spent and redundant acts, some of which have remained on the statute books despite fulfilling their purpose or being superseded many years ago. These include the Financial Institutions Duty Act 1983, the Debits Tax Act 1994, the Industries Development Act 1941, the Wilpena Station Tourist Facility Act 1990 and the South Australian Meat Corporation (Sale of Assets) Act 1996.

I am pleased to reiterate this government's commitment to regulatory simplification through holding Simplify Day as an annual event. Future Simplify Days will help us deliver the crucial task of reviewing and refreshing our legislation to ensure business and consumers can interact with legislation in a simple and meaningful way. The Hon Andrew McLachlan mentioned that he thought the 30-day public consultation leading up to government's inaugural Simplify Day was too short.

I would like to clarify that 30 days was the length of the consultation held on the government's YourSAy website. Further consultation, I am advised, has taken place through face-to-face interactions with stakeholders, as well as a dedicated inbox which is open for regulatory simplification suggestions. This email, by its nature, is available 24/7 and is promoted through channels such as the commissioner for small business, amongst other avenues.

The government has already started speaking to businesses about the next Simplify Day. For example, my parliamentary colleague in the other place, the member for Light, ran a business round table last week and heard concerns about red tape in some areas. Regulatory simplification is an ongoing process that this government is committed to, and committed to this reform.

In his contribution, the Hon Andrew McLachlan also queried when the government's report on the progress of the first Simplify Day will be released. I am pleased to advise that the government will report on the progress of the inaugural Simplify Day reforms with the introduction of the second annual simplify bill, which I am advised is aiming to be introduced in August of this year.

With that, I would like to thank those who have contributed to this bill, particularly the member for Kaurna in another place and his research assistant, Gemma Paech, as well as others in the Simpler Regulation Unit headed by Julie Holmes, and to all the department staff who contributed to this bill in various ways and at various briefings. I thank honourable members for their contributions and look forward to dealing with this at the committee stage, hopefully this afternoon.

Bill read a second time.