Page 2185 - Week 10 - Thursday, 26 October 1989
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Government Consultation
MR COLLAERY (5.19): At the end of this week, I wish to rise to make some comments on the subject of consultation. This week we have finally seen the Government forced when it wanted its legislative program to get off the base - and it has, in a lame, stop-start fashion. But, of course, that was out of the goodwill of some of the members of the Assembly who have put up with all of the broken meetings, the lost lunch times, the early starts and the late evening discussions. I trust, Mr Speaker, that this week has taught the Government a lesson that, in its minority situation, it must come further across in terms of providing much more extensive explanatory memoranda to its Bills. I say that with no disrespect to the parliamentary draftsman, but the explanatory memoranda need to be far more comprehensive, at least in the early days of this new Legislative Assembly.
Finally, Mr Speaker, the passage of some legislation this week has been at the cost of some annoyance to all of us in terms of the fact that we once again feel that we are insecure in relation to unintended interpretive effects that will have their cost to this community when we take over the court system and we find an excessive amount of legislation and challenges going through the tribunals, the review bodies and the courts. We will not know this for a year or so. But then this could be a time bomb we are setting up by not having our legislation in place, by not having it sent out to all those affected groups in the community, in ample time for there to be proper consultation.
Residents Rally
MR JENSEN (5.21): Mr Speaker, I rise to make a few brief comments in relation to some statements that were made about the Rally during one of the debates. There was some suggestion that the Residents Rally members for some reason were closet Liberals and could not make up their mind. Now, without wanting to bring personalities into this particular debate, I seem to recall that one of the things that we looked at today related to a decision that was made by the committee on the Occupational Health and Safety Bill, and it was an agreement that was made in that particular matter. It would seem to me that, in relation to involved unions, Mr Moore also changed his mind. So, if it is good enough for Mr Moore to change his mind on one thing, surely, Mr Speaker, in the appropriateness of time and with a view to a consideration of the facts, it is appropriate for other organisations and groups within this party to consider very carefully the issues and vote accordingly.
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