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2008 - 2009 THE PARLIAMENT OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SAFETY, REHABILITATION AND COMPENSATION AMENDMENT BILL 2009 EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM (Circulated by authority of the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, the Honourable Julia Gillard MP) SAFETY, REHABILITATION AND COMPENSATION AMENDMENT BILL 2009 OUTLINE This Bill will amend section 100 of the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988 (the SRC Act) to provide the Minister with an absolute discretion to consider requests for declarations of eligibility for a licence under the SRC Act. The aim of the amendment is to make explicit that section 100 of the SRC Act empowers, but does not oblige, the Minister to consider or determine requests for declarations of eligibility. In particular, the Minister would not be able to be compelled to consider these requests. This would apply to new requests or applications, and any existing applications that have been made but not determined. FINANCIAL IMPACT STATEMENT The amendment is of an administrative character and there will be no financial cost to the Commonwealth. NOTES ON CLAUSES Clause 1 - Short title 1. This is a formal provision specifying the short title of the Act. Clause 2 - Commencement 2. This clause would provide that this Act commences on Royal Assent. Clause 3 - Schedule(s) 11. This clause would provide that an Act that is specified in a Schedule is amended or repealed as set out in that Schedule, and any other item in a Schedule operates according to its terms. Schedule 1 ~ Main Amendments Proposed Item 1 - Section 100 Proposed Item 1 is a technical amendment re-numbering the section to provide for its expansion. Proposed Item 2 - at the end of section 100 Proposed Item 2 would provide that the Minister is not required to consider a request for a declaration of eligibility under subsection (1). This would provide the Minister with an absolute discretion on whether or not to consider a request. Proposed Item 3 - Application Proposed Item 3 would provide that the amendments in Item 2 would apply to requests made before, at or after the time at which that Item commences.