Parliamentary Committees (Petitions) Amendment Act 2019 (SA)

South Australia

Parliamentary Committees (Petitions) Amendment Act 2019

An Act to amend the Parliamentary Committees Act 1991.

The Parliament of South Australia enacts as follows:

Part 1Preliminary1Short title

This Act may be cited as the Parliamentary Committees (Petitions) Amendment Act 2019.

2Amendment provisions

In this Act, a provision under a heading referring to the amendment of a specified Act amends the Act so specified.

Part 2Amendment of Parliamentary Committees Act 19913Amendment of section 12 – Functions of Committee

Section 12—after paragraph (b) insert:

1. (ba)

   to inquire into, consider and report on petitions referred to it under section 16B;

4Insertion of section 16B

After section 16A insert:

16B—Certain petitions referred to Legislative Review Committee

1. (1)

   Each eligible petition is, on being presented to the House of Assembly or the Legislative Council by a member of the relevant House, referred to the Legislative Review Committee by force of this section.

2. (2)

   In this section—

eligible petition means a petition of not less than 10 000 signatures that complies with any relevant requirements of the Standing Orders of the House in which it is presented or the Joint Standing Orders (as the case may require).

5Amendment of section 19 – Reference of Committee report to Minister for response

1. (1)

   Section 19(1)—delete "On" and substitute:

   Subject to subsection (1a), on

2. (2)

   Section 19—after subsection (1) insert:

   1. (1a)

      In the case of a report relating to a petition referred to the Legislative Review Committee under section 16B, the report is referred by force of this section to the Minister with primary responsibility in the area to which the petition relates for that Minister's response.

3. (3)

   Section 19(2)—delete "subsection (1)" and substitute:

   this section

4. (4)

   Section 19(3)—delete subsection (3) and substitute:

   1. (3)

      The following provisions apply in relation to the response of a Minister to a Committee report:

      1. (a)

         in the case of a response relating to a petition referred to the Legislative Review Committee under section 16B—the prescribed Minister in each House must, within 6 sitting days after the response is made—

         1. (i)

            address the House and explain what, if any, action is to be taken in relation to the petition (whether by the prescribed Minister or otherwise); and

         2. (ii)

            if no action is to be taken in relation to the petition (whether by the prescribed Minister or otherwise), the reasons for that fact;

      2. (b)

         in any other case—the Minister must cause a copy of the response to be laid before the Committee's appointing House or Houses within 6 sitting days after it is made.

   2. (4)

      In this section—

   prescribed Minister, in relation to a response referred to in subsection (3)(a), means—

   1. (a)

      in the House in which the Minister to whom the report of the Legislative Review Committee is referred under subsection (1a) sits—that Minister; or

   2. (b)

      in the other House—the Premier or the leader of Government business in the Legislative Council (as the case requires).