Page 890 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 27 March 1990
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
I think the set-up of future committees proposed by this report is very good. There is the Committee on Conservation, Heritage and Environment, the Committee on Planning, Development and Infrastructure and the Social Policy Committee. We are retaining the scrutiny of Bills committee and setting up a legal affairs committee. I think that is very important to separate the scrutiny of Bills from legal affairs. The comments made by the committee say that one of the major benefits of the scrutiny of Bills committee is that it acts in a bipartisan manner. Once you walk in the door of that committee you are there on a bipartisan matter and politics do not come into it. I am pleased to say that is how that committee is operated with Carmel Maher and myself, ably assisted by Professor Whalan and our committee secretary.
To include that committee's role in a general legal committee, which may travel down more controversial paths, would be seen to be compromising its impartiality. Looking at the issues, the legal committee will be dealing with administrative law, civil liberties and human rights censorship, company law, law and order, criminal law, law reform and consumer affairs. These are somewhat more controversial issues. Some politics will, of course, come into those; that is unavoidable. To separate those two committees is a most important recommendation and a very sensible one. It is made by the Standing Committee on Administration and Procedures in this report.
Finally, I would like to compliment that standing committee on producing this report; I think it is very timely. It needs to be debated and finalised as soon as possible, and it is good that we are doing that now so that we can finalise our new committee structure, welcome the Opposition back to the ranks of the committee structure of this Assembly and get on with the job.
DR KINLOCH (4.41): Mr Speaker, I would again endorse many of the comments already made on both sides of the house. I certainly agree with Mr Stefaniak's comment in that way and I think we are entitled, in this almost empty chamber, to recognise that we often do our best work in committee. This debate is rightly and properly being conducted in that same spirit in which our committees meet. I very much thank the committee that is producing this report and welcome this discussion.
It has been my happy experience to be on two standing committees and two select committees and everyone here can echo that kind of thing. I conclude, from those experiences, that some of the most constructive activities - bipartisan activities, corporate activities, in the best possible use of that word "activities" - are achieved in committees. There are problems, however.
Mr Stefaniak has mentioned that there are only 17 of us, but in a way there are only 13 of us, including yourself, Mr Speaker, and your role on this particular committee that
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .