The Greens’ Shane Rattenbury is taking a traditional Speasker’s role by applauding the introduction into the Senate of legislation to stop the Commonwealth over ruling ACT Legislation by virtue of a disallowance motion.
“The Australian Greens are to be congratulated for showing respect for democracy and acting to uphold the principle of self government which was granted to the ACT in 1989.
“The ACT is a mature and developed democracy with a capable and accountable legislature. There is consensus in the ACT Assembly that the Assembly has the right to make its own laws free from the threat of an arbitrary veto by the federal executive,” Mr Rattenbury said.
The Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Amendment (Disallowance and Amendment Power of the Commonwealth) Bill 2009 that Senator Brown announced today will remove the ability of the Governor-General to veto any ACT law. The Bill is in addition to the Greens Restoring Territory Rights (Voluntary Euthanasia Legislation) Bill also announced recently which removes the prohibition on Territories legislating with respect to euthanasia.
Here in the bunker we wonder how a 2009 Bill can be introduced in 2010. But we would like to point out that without constitutional change any law passed can be amended in future.
Having said that it will be much harder to get up than a disallowance motion.