The Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee’s Report on the Personal Property Securities Amendment (Registration Commencement) Bill 2011 has recommended the Bill be passed by the Senate subject to the Attorney-General’s Department revising and reissuing the Explanatory Memorandum.

The purpose of the Bill is to amend the PPS Act to ensure that it will not automatically commence on 1 February 2012 if the PPS Register is not ready for use by that date.

The Report quotes the Attiorney-General’s Department submission that “Based on the level of testing already undertaken and the progress of work across the program, the target dates that have been planned with industry are that data migration commences on 28 November 2011 and the registration commencement time is 30 January 2012. However, meeting these dates is dependent on an assessment of readiness after user acceptance testing is completed.”

The Department also advised the Committee that it has developed a communications campaign, which is proposed to begin the week commencing 22 January 2012 and continue through until June 2012.