2016-10-26
Ms PENNICUIK (Southern Metropolitan) — The Melbourne College of Divinity Amendment Bill 2016 is a very simple bill which amends the legislation to reflect the changes the college has made to its name and to some of its governance arrangements. The bill amends the act by changing the name from Melbourne College of Divinity, which it had been since 1910, to the University of Divinity and replacing references to the president, dean and vice-president with references to the chancellor, vice-chancellor and deputy chancellor to reflect the changes that the organisation has made to itself and how it refers to these positions. It removes the references to the registrar, a position that no longer exists. It removes references to the fellows of the college as the college no longer appoints fellows. It consolidates two separate duplicate provisions, which empower the college to award a doctorate, into one provision. It gives its council greater flexibility to appoint its chancellor and deputy chancellor for up to three years but no longer than the term of the elected member's existing appointment.
All of these changes reflect what is in fact the status quo within the organisation. I note that Acting President Melhem declared that this was a private bill and the minister asked the permission of the Council to deal with it as a public bill, but the question as to why we need an act of Parliament for this particular organisation is possibly the wider question.