Dan Boyle (Green Party)

Senators Dearey and Ormonde called for debate on the Construction Contracts Bill which was introduced in this House by Senator Quinn. The Senator has advised the House that this is a Bill of increasing complexity and he is dealing with the Office of the Attorney General to try to resolve those difficulties and bring it back to the House at the earliest opportunity. There is one difficulty in terms of certain legislation, Private Members' legislation in particular. There seems to be an attempt to slow down the progress of such legislation too often by a requirement that a Bill must be examined in all its aspects before it is introduced in this House and the other House. It is not understood often enough by an agency such as the Office of the Attorney General that this is the place where those complexities should be teased out. The Bill does not need to be perfect before it is introduced. This is the Chamber in which there is an attempt to make it stronger and improve it. I hope that message can be got across, that any further unnecessary delay can be stopped and that the Bill will come to the House at the earliest possible time.