Page 1947 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 24 October 1989
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
There it is. Believe it or not, she was telling us, "You've already had the information you requested. You've had it all along. Silly you for not looking hard enough". She said, "The Government has taken action to respond to Mr Humphries' request". Clearly, Mr Speaker, when the Chief Minister answered her questions on 6 July and 26 September she assumed that additional information would be made available to members of this Opposition. She has now made a change of position. She has now decided that the information already provided by the Government is satisfactory and that is all that the Opposition needs to have.
I say, Mr Speaker, it is not sufficient and will not be satisfactory. She says that she is now providing the information in a weekly legislative program in written form to party leaders. Information previously provided on Tuesday morning in oral form is now being provided on Monday afternoon in written form. Big deal!
Mr Speaker, I think this situation is totally intolerable and the Assembly would commit a grave disservice to itself and to future assemblies if it failed to take immediate, swift and decisive action on the Government's position. I indicate at this stage, Mr Speaker, that I will be moving a motion at the conclusion of this discussion seeking to indicate in no uncertain terms that the Assembly's position with regard to the Government's actions is a desire in the future for clear, forward legislative programs and that these be updated from time to time. I will give notice of that in a short while.
Mr Speaker, let us look at the position of other parliaments in this country. I indicated last week that it was the position in all other parliaments that legislative programs were made available. That, I am sad to say, is not the case.
Ms Follett: That is not true, Gary.
MR HUMPHRIES: I am about to admit that, Chief Minister.
Ms Follett: Good.
MR HUMPHRIES: However, it is the case in other places. I would direct the Chief Minister's attention to places where it is the case. Let us look, for example, at the position in our own Federal Senate, only a short distance from this place.
Ms Follett: Look at the House of Representatives.
MR HUMPHRIES: The information provided to the Senate is available also to members of the House of Representatives, should they wish to take advantage of it, Chief Minister.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .