Page 590 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 20 March 1990
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actually indicate whether I would be interested or not. Mr Jensen could have expected an immediate objection from me should I have wished to raise it. I did not. But it was clear that Mr Berry had to take the matter away.
One of the things that is even more interesting to me is that Mr Jensen basically gave us a set of instructions and read them as he might orders on a battlefront to his subordinates. That is how he did it. On a couple of questions he smiled a supercilious smile and gave us a little bit of further information, little titbits for those who might be interested in what was going on. At no stage was there an open debate, the sort of debate that we used to have around the oval table up in the Cabinet room on a Monday evening prior to sittings, because there is a different methodology.
The Government, as Mr Kaine said a short while ago, is just interested in using its numbers. It will be very interesting tomorrow in private members' business to see whether the Government uses its numbers again on the Administration and Procedures Committee as Mr Jensen suggested it might, in order to interfere with private members' business and what should come on tomorrow as part of it. Then we get Mr Duby talking about "the great deceiver"! He stood for no self-government and here he is a Minister!
MR SPEAKER: Order! Mr Moore, please debate the issue.
MR MOORE: Thank you, Mr Speaker. This is an adjournment debate, for heaven's sake, a free debate. I can say what I like.
Mr Whalan: It is an adjournment debate. Read the standing orders.
Mr Kaine: He can say what he likes, no matter how scandalous, Mr Speaker?
MR MOORE: Precisely. The great deceiver is now using the term "Independents Group", which he knows is not registered to him at the Electoral Commission. We have a situation where we have a government of people who went into government on the notion of having open government, of being able to let people see things. Yet every single step of the way we see it closing things down, using its numbers to ensure lack of access and inability of people to know what the hell is going on. That is what this Government has offered us as part of its promises of open government. I would like to have you reflect on the notion of "the great deceiver".
MR JENSEN (5.39): Mr Speaker, I will be brief because I do not think I need to say too much. The first point I need to remind the members opposite is, who is paying your salary? The second thing is that on Tuesday, 23 May, we rose at 4.41; on Tuesday, 30 May, we rose at 4.59; on
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