i-Taukei Affairs Amendment Bill 2023 to be debated in Parliament on Thursday

The i-Taukei Affairs Amendment Bill 2023 that deals with the reinstatement of the Great Council of Chiefs will be debated in Parliament tomorrow.

The Bill was tabled yesterday in Parliament by Attorney General Siromi Turaga under Standing Order 51.

Turaga says the GCC is a historical institution of our forefathers whose role was recognised under the 1990 and 1997 Constitution.

The AG says the requirement to have the GCC in place was specified under the i-Taukei Affairs Act of 1944 which also makes reference to the GCC in various other provisions under the Act and in other legislation relating to i-Taukei Affairs.

Turaga says in 2012, these important key provisions were removed and also extended to the regulations or subsidiary laws that were made under the Act.

He says the deletion of provisions under the Act was done by way of a Decree.

Objecting to the use of Standing Order 51, FijiFirst MP Jone Usamate says all legislation brought into Parliament by this government has gone through Standing Order 51.

Turaga told Usamate that if he had listened to what the i-Taukei Affairs Minister had said in Parliament, he would understand the purpose of putting this Bill forward.