Page 3156 - Week 15 - Thursday, 14 December 1989
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Mr Berry: Rubbish!
MR HUMPHRIES: You may say "rubbish", Mr Berry, but nothing here is going to change that fact. Mr Wood, in particular, will recall the heavy load that he had to bear as the sole ALP member of many of those committees.
Mr Kaine: It looks as though they are going to leave him there, the way things are going.
MR HUMPHRIES: It looks as though they are, Mr Chief Minister. They are going to leave Mr Wood on them because they are not prepared, apparently, to take part in the committees' role in this Assembly. The fact is that they need to; it is part of the process of opposition that they do get involved in those committees; and I hope that they do make the effort before the end of today to nominate for those committees. The fact is that the review has been conducted into the committee system. I do not think anything that is in this is going to jeopardise that.
Ms Follett: It has not been. It is not finished.
MR HUMPHRIES: Well, it is not finished, Ms Follett, but the fact is that the committees still have to work over the summer break. You may want to go off to Queensland or somewhere and bask in the ALP sunshine up there, but the fact is that the committees of this Assembly have to continue to work over the summer break.
Now, that review has not been completed. We cannot just say, "Okay, all committees are off for the next two months until we come back for the rest of the sittings next year". The fact is that we have got to do work over the summer break, and we need to re-establish these committees for that summer break so they can be getting down to work and finishing important inquiries - inquiries such as the one into waste management and the one into an integrated energy policy for the ACT, two of which I was involved with. That work has to carry on and we have to get these committees re-established for that purpose. The fact is, Mr Speaker, that we have important work to do. The committees will facilitate that work through this motion. I warmly endorse the motion and I hope every member of the Assembly supports it.
MR JENSEN (11.55): Mr Speaker, I am going to rise very briefly to make some comments on the statements by the deputy leader of the Opposition, who, I see, is not currently present in the house. Mrs Nolan sought an appointment with Mr Whalan yesterday - not in the evening, as has been suggested, but in the morning. We sought that appointment for later on in the day to discuss this matter of committees and the business of government. Mr Whalan indicated to Mrs Nolan that he was about to go into a party meeting at 10 o'clock and he wanted to have this information so it could be discussed. Both Mrs Nolan and I rearranged our programs so that we could fit in with that request of the deputy leader of the Opposition.
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