Mr REED - 2002-05-23
Madam Speaker, you have sent out invitations far and wide for Australia’s biggest morning tea function in aid of cancer research, based on the great Aussie tradition of bringing a plate, a common practice for community based organisations to do a bit of fund raising. I ask you if you are aware of the onerous conditions that now apply, through the Labor government’s new regulations, to community-based organisations in that you may well be breaking the law.
Anyone who brings a plate - and I use your words ‘We will accept anything yummy’ - under the new regulations, anyone bringing a plate has to have their kitchen first inspected and approved by the Department of Health inspectors.
As you are charging a fee, and a donation falls squarely within this, in that every method of disposition, for valuable consideration, this donation that you will be charging attracts these new regulations. Madam Speaker, the number of community groups in Katherine and elsewhere are being imposed upon by these regulations …
Mr STIRLING: A point of order, Madam Speaker.
Madam SPEAKER: I am interested in hearing the question.
Mr REED: I seek leave to table these regulations, Madam Speaker, for your edification, and I wonder if you would like to ask the Minister for Health and Community Services whether she would explain whether you are breaking the law or not.
Mr STIRLING: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I ask that that question be directed to the Minister for Health and Community Services. As the member for Katherine well knows, she has carriage of this area, not yourself, and its too cute by half to direct the question to the Minister for Health and Community Services through the Speaker.
Madam SPEAKER: I am very pleased that the member for Katherine has raised this, because it certainly does alert people in the building to the function that we intend to hold for cancer research tomorrow, and as you are aware, it is a very important function that we are holding. There are many people who will be attending. It will be an in-house party, and the proceeds will go to cancer research. It is a very important morning right across the Territory and I am quite sure that all of us will support such a morning tea.
You may also note that the invitation does say that I will be hosting the morning tea, so obviously I will be getting a caterer to provide many of the yummies that we will be having, as you referred to. But because you mentioned the health regulations, I think it is appropriate for me to ask the Minister for Health and Community Services to comment on just this matter.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, what a very curious question. But personally I congratulate you on hosting such a morning tea. Cancer research is something which I think we would all, on both sides of the House, support and I would like to say congratulations to you.
I also am hosting an Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea on Sunday in my electorate office, and I am looking forward to people from my electorate coming in to join me in this as well.
All honourable members would be aware that we have not actually made any changes to any legislation, so anything that is happening here must in fact relate to the CLP’s legislation. I would like them to tell us why they introduced this.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, order!
Mrs AAGAARD: People can be assured that in having an Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea that, in fact, they can go ahead and have them. But I will make sure, from my department, if there are any issues that need to be raised, by the end of this Question Time I will bring an answer. But I have to say, Madam Speaker, that at this stage I believe there is no reason why you cannot have your morning tea, and I hope it goes well.
Madam SPEAKER: Is leave granted for those papers to be tabled by the member for Katherine?
Leave granted.
Anyone who brings a plate - and I use your words ‘We will accept anything yummy’ - under the new regulations, anyone bringing a plate has to have their kitchen first inspected and approved by the Department of Health inspectors.
As you are charging a fee, and a donation falls squarely within this, in that every method of disposition, for valuable consideration, this donation that you will be charging attracts these new regulations. Madam Speaker, the number of community groups in Katherine and elsewhere are being imposed upon by these regulations …
Mr STIRLING: A point of order, Madam Speaker.
Madam SPEAKER: I am interested in hearing the question.
Mr REED: I seek leave to table these regulations, Madam Speaker, for your edification, and I wonder if you would like to ask the Minister for Health and Community Services whether she would explain whether you are breaking the law or not.
Mr STIRLING: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I ask that that question be directed to the Minister for Health and Community Services. As the member for Katherine well knows, she has carriage of this area, not yourself, and its too cute by half to direct the question to the Minister for Health and Community Services through the Speaker.
Madam SPEAKER: I am very pleased that the member for Katherine has raised this, because it certainly does alert people in the building to the function that we intend to hold for cancer research tomorrow, and as you are aware, it is a very important function that we are holding. There are many people who will be attending. It will be an in-house party, and the proceeds will go to cancer research. It is a very important morning right across the Territory and I am quite sure that all of us will support such a morning tea.
You may also note that the invitation does say that I will be hosting the morning tea, so obviously I will be getting a caterer to provide many of the yummies that we will be having, as you referred to. But because you mentioned the health regulations, I think it is appropriate for me to ask the Minister for Health and Community Services to comment on just this matter.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, what a very curious question. But personally I congratulate you on hosting such a morning tea. Cancer research is something which I think we would all, on both sides of the House, support and I would like to say congratulations to you.
I also am hosting an Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea on Sunday in my electorate office, and I am looking forward to people from my electorate coming in to join me in this as well.
All honourable members would be aware that we have not actually made any changes to any legislation, so anything that is happening here must in fact relate to the CLP’s legislation. I would like them to tell us why they introduced this.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, order!
Mrs AAGAARD: People can be assured that in having an Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea that, in fact, they can go ahead and have them. But I will make sure, from my department, if there are any issues that need to be raised, by the end of this Question Time I will bring an answer. But I have to say, Madam Speaker, that at this stage I believe there is no reason why you cannot have your morning tea, and I hope it goes well.
Madam SPEAKER: Is leave granted for those papers to be tabled by the member for Katherine?
Leave granted.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016