WEIGHTS AND MEASURES (AMENDMENT) BILL

Order for Second Reading read. 4.02 p.m.

The Minister for Law and Science and Technology (Mr E.W. Barker): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

Honourable Members are aware that since 1971 the Metrication Board has been directing and implementing the Government policy on metrication. Significant progress has been made. The public and the industrial sectors have been almost completely metricated. The conversion of the retail trade sector has also been progressing satisfactorily. However, in order to prevent any reversion to the use of non-metric units, it is necessary to support the metrication exercise with the necessary legislation.

The Weights and Measures Act, in its present form, does not permit Orders to be introduced to prohibit the use of non-metric units for goods sold in loose quantities.

The Bill seeks to amend section 16 of the Act so as to confer upon the Minister the power to make it mandatory that goods be sold in metric units, and at a price based on convenient metric quantities such as 1 kilogramme, 100 grammes, etc.

Sir, I beg to move.

Question put, and agreed to.

Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House.

The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. - [Mr E.W. Barker].

Bill considered in Committee.

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Clause I -

The Chairman: The citation year will be altered from "1979" to "1980".

Clause 1 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Clause 2 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Bill reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed.