Page 1251 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 23 August 1989
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Resignation is still a valid sanction where ministers have been indiscreet or arbitrary in exercising power. In cases where the minister has misled parliament, condoned or authorised a blatantly unreasonable use of executive power, or more vaguely, where the minister's behaviour contravenes established standards of morality, resignation or dismissal is the appropriate action. In these cases, the factors which may often excuse the minister from blame for administrative blunders do not operate to the same degree: the minister's personal responsibility may be more easily isolated.
The responsibility of ministers individually to parliament is not mere fiction.
That is at page 82 of the current House of Representatives Practice.
Mr Speaker, I conclude my remarks by drawing attention to the facts at issue in this motion moved by my colleague Mr Jensen. They include an unwarranted personal attack on another member of the Assembly. Mr Jensen has indicated to me that he is willing to withdraw that section of his motion, provided this Deputy Chief Minister accepts personal responsibility.
More importantly, Mr Speaker, the misleading of the Assembly is clear on the facts. It is clear on the admissions made on the Deputy Chief Minister's behalf by the Chief Minister. It is an overwhelming admission, and clearly the Deputy Chief Minister was misled either intentionally or unintentionally - one assumes, unintentionally - by his subordinates. But a very senior subordinate was one of them. One of the named persons, whose name will not enter this chamber this afternoon, is or was either the acting or the permanent first assistant secretary.
That shows a very severe and unwelcome and troublesome breach of the normal ministerial responsibility chain of command that led this Deputy Chief Minister to leap to his feet, when his Chief Minister had herself undertaken to respond to the question raised by Mr Jensen. One should recall that in refuting the Chief Minister's claim that Mr Jensen provoked Mr Whalan. That, of course, is utterly unarguable. The fact is that this Deputy Chief Minister got to his feet much later and wanted to make a personal explanation, which was an attack.
He has done the same in this chamber today over a road, but that road will come home to roost soon for this Deputy Chief Minister somewhere else. Now, Mr Speaker, the fact is that this Minister is currently unable to discharge his ministerial obligations. The decision, as my colleague Mr Kaine said, of the Chief Minister in this affair is hers, and presumably hers alone, and she will not be dictated to,
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