Page 599 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 4 July 1989
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conservation and environment matters that was set up by motion of the Liberals. The report, for example, mentions unions, on which the Labor Party depends so much for its support. If you do not believe it, just look at what happened outside this building an hour or so ago. The heading is "Union criticised for influence". The commissioner warns that unions should not be able to influence management of the police force in particular and involve themselves in matters outside their jurisdictions. The report states:
... It is singularly inappropriate for the union to demand the right to influence the selection of the police Commissioner or Minister.
That is one point. The report continues:
The [Queensland Police] Union has been both the means by which, and the forum in which, honest police have been dissuaded from doing their duty and reporting misconduct.
It is stated:
The union had involved itself in cases where one member made an allegation about another, which was not its proper function.
In other words, without having read the report or its recommendations in full, it is clear that the commissioner was concerned about the influence of the unions, not only on the police force but also on the Government. I think that is salutary wording that the Government of this Territory should take to heart. I would submit that it is a reasonable warning.
The report apparently comments on the question of Cabinet secrecy. It talks about excessive Cabinet secrecy and politicisation of the public service. Cabinet confidentiality provides a ready means by which a government can withhold information which it is reluctant to disclose. Also, a government could use its control of parliament and public administration to manipulate, exploit and misinform the community or hide matters from it. I have been a member of this Assembly now for five or six weeks, and I presume there have been quite a number of Cabinet meetings. I have no information of any kind about the matters that the Cabinet has discussed. No minutes of Cabinet meetings are published. No reports are made on what the Cabinet discusses. So, if we are talking about Cabinet secrecy as a potential problem, I submit that we have the climate for it here. What I perhaps would like to have heard is the Chief Minister tell us what she is going to do to open up to the public the matters that are discussed in the Cabinet and remove this potential problem with which the report deals in terms of Cabinet secrecy - misinformation, no information, hiding from the public the things that it does not want the public to hear.
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