Swine Compensation Act Amendment Bill 1974

Second Reading

The Hon. J. D. CORCORAN (Minister of Works): I move:

That this Bill be now read a second time.

This short Bill is intended to make an amendment to the principal Act, the Swine Compensation Act, 1936, as amended, as a consequence of the recent amendments to the Foot and Mouth Disease Eradication Fund Act, Honourable members will recall that, following agreement between the States and the Commonwealth, it is proposed that swine fever will be included in the diseases in respect of which compensation under that Act will be payable.

Accordingly, clause 3 strikes out from the definition of disease in the principal Act the disease swine fever, since in the event of an outbreak of that disease the provisions of the Foot and Mouth Disease Eradication Fund Act will apply and have effect. Clause 4 of the Bill recasts section 4a of the principal Act to ensure that specific diseases can by proclamation be added to or deleted from the list of diseases in respect of which compensation is payable. This should ensure that there will be maximum flexibility in the administration of the principal Act, which is desirable in measures of this nature. Clause 5 removes a further redundant reference to swine fever in section 8 of the principal Act.

Mr. FERGUSON secured the adjournment of the debate.