Page 1129 - Week 04 - Thursday, 29 March 1990
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Zimbabwe conference, then on the basis of that being Assembly business, I would have stood up and argued the matter the same way, even though I have questions about the expenditure of money. I would have argued that way because the matter would then have been Assembly business.
Mr Humphries: That is rubbish.
MR BERRY: The position adopted by the people opposite is a scandalous, penny-pinching, mean and, dare I say, vindictive approach to Mr Moore because - - -
Mr Moore: We have actually found a compromise.
MR BERRY: He now tells me he has a compromise, but the real point at issue is when something is decided to be Assembly business whether this house should give approval for members to take leave to attend it. That is the point at issue, nothing else. It would be scandalous for this house to deny leave to members who wish to go on leave.
Mr Speaker, I think it is an embarrassment for this place that this matter was even raised in the first place. The issue should have gone through very quickly because it is just a matter of people getting leave to attend to business, no more than that. The other issues are side issues and should be dealt with in a different way.
MR SPEAKER, by leave: I believe it is most proper for any member intending overseas travel, be it for private purposes or Assembly business, to seek leave to do so.
MR WOOD (4.39): This is a surprisingly sensitive issue and I believe Mr Moore should be granted his leave. Let me tell you the background because I have been involved, by chance, in the two committees in which this matter was raised and which gave approval to Mr Moore to do this.
First of all, Mr Moore raised the matter with the Select Committee on HIV, Illegal Drugs and Prostitution. The committee considered it, looked in some detail at the proposal and then said yes. We thought it very sensible that someone should go. We did not send a public servant. There are probably many public servants - I would not know exactly how many, but let me make a mad guess - say 100 public servants - - -
MR SPEAKER: Order, Mr Wood! That is not relevant. We are debating the separate issue.
MR WOOD: Okay. Probably 100 public servants will take an overseas trip out of this city this year, funded from our budget. But the point I was making was that the committee approved the trip. The matter then went to the Administration and Procedures Committee which again assessed it. By chance, I was on that committee also and that committee agreed.
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