Page 2029 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 25 October 1989
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have can be moved from the salary vote to the consultancy vote. It is as simple as that. That will allow Mr Stevenson to continue to pay his consultant because money will be provided. I can see a member of the Minister's staff in the gallery shaking his head. He is always giving me advice by signals from down there, Mr Speaker, and I am getting a bit sick of it. I just stated quite simply what has to be done. The only reason why you cannot pay consultants is that you have no money provided by the Chief Minister for that purpose. It is a simple machinery thing for a Minister to change the allocation of the money. You have got a salary vote. You can say, "Within that salary vote we will take a couple of hundred thousand and we will call it consultants' fees". It is a simple machinery matter.
This motion is not needed. In no way is it needed. I did not think that I had to give anybody a simple lecture on government accounting in order to achieve this, but it seems to be so. The government staffer sitting in the gallery might for once go and read up and be familiar on the subject instead of giving me gratuitous advice by body language. I am sick of it.
Mr Stevenson's motion is not required. There is a motion on the books already. There needs to be only one motion to achieve this. It is now an administrative matter to achieve the ends that Mr Stevenson requires. I request that it be done and that members stop wasting the time of this Assembly by debating this issue which no longer needs to be debated.
MR STEVENSON (10.52): Mr Speaker, I take Mr Kaine's point - - -
Mr Berry: I rise on a point of order, Mr Speaker. I do not know how many times a member can speak. My understanding of it is that, when he speaks next, it will close the debate.
MR SPEAKER: I believe he is entitled to speak to the amendment and then to close the debate. Were you making a point of order or were you wishing to speak, Mr Stevenson?
MR STEVENSON: I was speaking on the amendment, naturally enough.
MR SPEAKER: Yes, you can only speak to the amendment.
MR STEVENSON: Thank you. I take Mr Kaine's point and I would agree with it totally. I am concerned that the Government has not the slightest intention whatsoever of allowing that to happen. It is prepared, in my belief, to use every means at its disposal to ensure that it does not happen. What I am suggesting is that the motion we had expires immediately we pass the LA(MS) Bill. The Government will not introduce such a measure unless it gets a strong message from this Assembly that that is what we
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