Mary Henry (Independent)

Senator McCarthy has put forward a good argument. It would be preferable if a time limit could be put on how long the council could go without a registrar. If a very powerful chairman has had a dispute with the registrar, the chairman may be pleased that he or she does not have to appoint an acting registrar. I am sure the Minister and her officials have discussed this issue carefully. Powerful people are often quite pleased to be able to run a show on their own. If a situation arose where there had been a dispute between the chairman and the registrar, a council that had been one year in operation could then go on for another three years without an acting registrar. A registrar can act as honest broker in these types of organisations if there is trouble between the council and its constituents.