BILLS › Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2011
Senator CHRIS EVANS (Western Australia—Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Science and Research and Leader of the Government in the Senate) (01:19): by leave—I move government amendments (1) to (3) on sheet BW232: (1) Clause 8, page 13 (line 31), before "alcohol", insert "ethyl". (2) Clause 8, page 14 (line 3), omit "alcohol", substitute "liquor". (3) Clause 8, page 14 (line 5), omit "alcohol", substitute "liquor". These amendments will clarify the meaning of 'alcohol' and allow infringement notices to be issued for possession and supply liquor offences involving small amounts of alcohol. They make it clear that infringement notices can be issued for possession and supply liquor offences involving the aforementioned 1,350 millilitres of alcohol or less. These amendments address a recommendation of the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee majority report. I hope that, unlike Senator Ludlam, I am not verballing them, but I am told that this was one of their recommendations. They recommended also that the bill be amended to allow infringement notices to be issued in relation to minor offences and to make clear that the infringement notices may be issued relating to possession and supply liquor offences. There was some support for these measures from the community affairs committee to provide greater clarity, and it really ties in with the debate that we have just had. We think that these amendments will benefit the legislation and benefit the management of those offences.