Abattoirs Amendment Bill 1980

Page 1930 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL 1 April 1980

Second Reading

Received from the House of Assembly and read a first time.

The Hon. J. C. BURDETT (Minister of Community Welfare): I move:

That this Bill be now read a second time. It should be read together with the Meat Hygiene Bill, 1980, which is designed to regulate all aspects of the hygiene and inspection of abattoirs within the State.

The principal Act, the Abattoirs Act, 1911-1973, empowers the establishment of local boards to either operate or supervise the operation of abattoirs within areas proclaimed under the Act. At present, only the Port Pirie Abattoirs Board owns and operates an abattoir. All the other abattoirs boards essentially supervise the inspection of meat and fix slaughtering fees.

This Bill, therefore, is designed to enable the Port Pirie Abattoirs Board to continue to operate the Port Pirie Abattoir and to remove from the principal Act all provisions that do not relate to the establishment and operation of abattoirs by abattoirs boards but relate to hygiene or the inspection of meat. I seek leave to have the explanation of the clauses inserted in Hansard without my reading it.

Leave granted.

Explanation of Clauses

Clause 1 is formal. Under this clause the principal Act, as amended by this measure, is to be referred to as the "Local Public Abattoirs Act". Clause 2 provides for the commencement of the measure. Clause 3 amends section 2 of the principal Act which sets out the headings to the Parts of the principal Act. Clause 4 amends section 3 of the principal Act by deleting all definitions that do not relate to the establishment and operation of an abattoir by an abattoirs board. Clause 5 enacts a new section that provides for the disposition of the property of abattoirs boards that would be dissolved by virtue of the proposed repeal of Part IVA of the principal Act. All the remaining clauses of the Bill effect amendments or repeals that remove references or provisions that do not relate to the establishment of abattoirs boards or the establishment and operation of abattoirs by abattoirs boards.

The Hon. B. A. CHATTERTON secured the adjournment of the debate.