Human Rights Commission Amendment Act 2006 (ACT)

Case

Human Rights Commission Amendment Act 2006

A2006-44

Contents

Page

  1. Name of Act  2

  2. Commencement  2

  3. Legislation amended  2

  4. Members of commission


    Section 12 (1) (a)  2

  5. Section 12 (3)  2

  6. Commission president


    Division 3.2  2

  7. Section 26  3

  8. Section 28  4

  9. Time and place of commission meetings


    Section 30 (3) and (4)  4

  10. Presiding member at meetings


    Section 31  4

  11. Voting at meetings


    Section 33 (2)  4

  12. Allocating complaints


    Section 50 (2)  5

  13. Section 55  5

  14. Section 56  5

  15. Relationship between conciliation and consideration


    Section 61 (2) (a)  6

  16. Section 61 (2), note  6

  17. Conciliated agreements


    Section 62 (3)  6

  18. Section 63  6

  19. End of conciliation


    Section 65 (2)  7

  20. Admissibility of evidence


    Section 66 (1) (a) (i)  7

  21. Secrecy


    Section 99 (1), definition of person to whom this section applies, paragraph (a) (i)      8

  22. Protection of officials from liability


    Section 100 (1), definition of official, paragraph (a)  8

  23. Dictionary, definition of conciliator  8

  24. Dictionary, definition of president  8

  25. Further amendments, mentions of president  8

Human Rights Commission Amendment Act 2006

A2006-44

An Act to amend the Human Rights Commission Act 2005

The Legislative Assembly for the Australian Capital Territory enacts as follows:

  1. Name of Act

    This Act is the Human Rights Commission Amendment Act 2006.

  2. Commencement

    This Act commences on the commencement of the Human Rights Commission Act 2005, section 3.

    NoteThe naming and commencement provisions automatically commence on the notification day (see Legislation Act, s 75 (1)).

  3. Legislation amended

    This Act amends the Human Rights Commission Act 2005.

  4. Members of commission
    Section 12 (1) (a)

    omit

  5. Section 12 (3)

    omit

  6. Commission president
    Division 3.2

    omit

  7. Section 26

    substitute

  8. Appointment of human rights commissioner

    (1)The Executive must appoint a person to be the Human Rights Commissioner.

    Note 1For the making of appointments (including acting appointments), see the Legislation Act, pt 19.3.

    Note 2In particular, an appointment may be made by naming a person or nominating the occupant of a position (see s 207).

    (2)However, the Executive must not appoint a person as human rights commissioner unless satisfied that the person has the experience or expertise necessary to exercise the functions of the commissioner.

    (3)The human rights commissioner must not be appointed for a term of longer than 5 years.

    NoteA person may be reappointed to a position if the person is eligible to be appointed to the position (see Legislation Act, s 208 and dict, pt 1, def appoint).

    (4)The conditions of appointment of the human rights commissioner are the conditions agreed between the Executive and the commissioner, subject to any determination under the Remuneration Tribunal Act 1995.

    Note The human rights commissioner’s appointment may be ended under s 29.

  9. Section 28

    substitute

  10. Application—div 3.7

    This division applies to each of the following positions:

    (a)the children and young people commissioner;

    (b)the disability and community services commissioner;

    (c)the discrimination commissioner;

    (d)the health services commissioner;

    (e)the human rights commissioner.

  11. Time and place of commission meetings
    Section 30 (3) and (4)

    substitute

    (3)Any member may, with the agreement of at least 1 other member, call a meeting of the commission.

    (4)A member who calls a meeting under subsection (3) must give the other members reasonable notice of the time and place of the meeting.

  12. Presiding member at meetings
    Section 31

    omit

  13. Voting at meetings
    Section 33 (2)

    omit

  14. Allocating complaints
    Section 50 (2)

    omit

  15. Section 55

    substitute

  16. What is conciliation?

    (1)For this Act, conciliation of a complaint involves the commission acting as an impartial third-party to help the parties to the conciliation to endeavour to resolve the matters raised by the complaint.

    (2)Conciliation requires the parties’ willing and informed agreement to take part in the conciliation.

    NoteThe commission may require a party to attend conciliation, but may not require the party to take part.

    (3)The parties to conciliation decide the outcome of the conciliation, usually with advice from the commission.

  17. Section 56

    substitute

  18. Delegation of commission’s function of conciliation

    The commission may delegate the function of conciliation of a complaint to—

    (a)a commissioner other than the commissioner who is considering the complaint; or

    (b)a member of staff or a consultant engaged by the commission for this Act.

    Note 1Consultants may be engaged for this Act under s 37.

    Note 2For the making of delegations and the exercise of delegated functions, see the Legislation Act, pt 19.4.

  19. Relationship between conciliation and consideration
    Section 61 (2) (a)

    substitute

    (a)the commission may use information from the consideration to help with conciliation; and

  20. Section 61 (2), note

    omit

  21. Conciliated agreements
    Section 62 (3)

    substitute

    (3)The commission must—

    (a)give each party a copy of the conciliation agreement; and

    (b)if the complaint is a discrimination complaint—give the agreement to the discrimination tribunal.

  22. Section 63

    substitute

  23. Use of conciliation agreement by commission

    (1)This section applies if the parties to the conciliation make a conciliation agreement.

    (2)The commission may use information in the conciliation agreement, whether for considering the complaint to which the agreement relates or otherwise, only if the parties agree to the use by the commission of the agreement or the part of the agreement containing the information.

    (3)An agreement to allow the commission to use a conciliation agreement, or part of a conciliation agreement, may be in the conciliation agreement or elsewhere.

    (4)If the parties agree to the use by the commission of the conciliation agreement, or a part of the agreement, the commission may use anything in the conciliation agreement, or the part of the agreement, as the commission considers appropriate.

  24. End of conciliation
    Section 65 (2)

    substitute

    (2)If the conciliation ends, the commission must, as soon as practicable, tell the following people that the conciliation has ended and why it has ended:

    (a)the complainant;

    (b)the person complained about.

  25. Admissibility of evidence
    Section 66 (1) (a) (i)

    substitute

    (i)a communication made between people attending a conciliation (including the commission); and

  26. Secrecy
    Section 99 (1), definition of person to whom this section applies, paragraph (a) (i)

    omit

  27. Protection of officials from liability
    Section 100 (1), definition of official, paragraph (a)

    omit

  28. Dictionary, definition of conciliator

    omit

  29. Dictionary, definition of president

    omit

  30. Further amendments, mentions of president

    omit

    president

    substitute

    commission

    in

    ·     section 57 (2) and (3)

    ·     section 58

    ·     section 59 (1)

    ·     section 60

    ·     section 62 (1)

    ·     section 64

    ·     section 65 (1) (d)

Endnotes

  1. Presentation speech

    Presentation speech made in the Legislative Assembly on 17 October 2006.

  2. Notification

    Notified under the Legislation Act on 25 October 2006.

  3. Republications of amended laws

    For the latest republication of amended laws, see certify that the above is a true copy of the Human Rights Commission Amendment Bill 2006, which was passed by the Legislative Assembly on 19 October 2006.

    Clerk of the Legislative Assembly

    © Australian Capital Territory 2006

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