Page 1945 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 24 October 1989
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community, to have time to analyse issues that are contained in legislation brought forward by this Government. It allows time in particular for non-government parties to seek out those who are unaware either of legislation itself or of the implications of legislation being brought before the Assembly or those who were not, for whatever reason, consulted about that legislation.
That of course requires time, and time is the issue that is most pertinent in this debate. I want to make it clear that we are not talking about details of Bills. We are not expecting or asking the Government to supply copious information about Bills it may intend to introduce into the Assembly. That is not the intention. I think draft Bills would sometimes be appreciated and sometimes would be very helpful in conducting the work that we need to do on this side of the chamber, but that is not necessarily required. I would appreciate no more than merely receiving the titles of Bills the Government intends to introduce. That is not too much to ask.
It is not acceptable, I would submit, that the Government should proceed by way of ambush in this place. They sometimes bring Bills before us here with very little notice and expect them to be passed. Before the Chief Minister chuckles too much, I have examples of such legislation that she would be well aware of. I also want to emphasise that the Government is not expected to adhere to any rigid timetables or other information of a kind which binds the hands of the Government. Certainly, as in other places, governments' priorities change. They want to add to or subtract from or otherwise modify the pace of information or legislation brought before the Assembly. That is quite fair, and I think that there would be no complaint from us if that were to occur.
I want to outline the history of the requests that I have made to the Chief Minister in this regard. On 6 July I asked the Chief Minister this question: in line with her policy of open government, will she undertake to provide the opposition parties with a weekly or fortnightly legislative program as happens in Federal Parliament, or does she intend to keep the Assembly members in the dark about her Government's legislative program?
The Chief Minister replied, inter alia:
I hope that we will indeed be able to provide him with a legislative program in due course. It is something to which the Government is giving consideration now.
And she added in a supplementary answer:
I will certainly be happy to provide it to you and to update it regularly as soon as it has been drawn up.
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