Page 2009 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 5 June 1990
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standing orders. I suggest that Mr Berry should confine himself to that question.
MR BERRY: Mr Speaker, the Chief Minister need not worry. I will be confining myself to that issue. One of the issues, of course, is the way the Government misrepresents the actual position. It operates by stealth and with duplicity.
Mr Kaine: On a point of order, Mr Speaker; this is one of the continuing assertions of the Opposition, that we misrepresent. We do not, and I would like that withdrawn.
MR SPEAKER: No, I overrule that objection, Chief Minister. Mr Berry, please proceed. Please get to the point.
MR BERRY: The issue is that this Government tries to pretend that the business paper is full and it does so by including longwinded ministerial statements, sometimes unnecessarily longwinded. One of the examples I will give you is the three-week-old event that was reported in a recent statement by Mr Humphries in relation to nurses. It was three weeks old, for heaven's sakes. What it boils down to is that the business paper is not filled and the Opposition is not going to stand idly by while the Government fills the paper with longwinded and unnecessarily long ministerial statements to fill the newspaper.
Mr Speaker, this matter has had to come to a head because of the secrecy of this Government. All they have to do is to make sure that they advise the Opposition so that we can deal with these matters where practicable as they arise. One of the examples of the Liberal philosophy which has flowed through into the members opposite was when Menzies said to Calwell one day when Calwell asked Menzies what was going on in relation to ministerial statements - - -
Mr Jensen: On a point of order, Mr Speaker; I get the distinct impression that Mr Berry is debating the issue and not debating the suspension of standing orders.
MR SPEAKER: No, that objection is overruled. Mr Berry, please stick closer to the point.
MR BERRY: Mr Speaker, Menzies told Calwell that nothing was on that day, so Calwell took off to do some other business and was not able to be in the house. That was the day that Menzies gave the commitment to put troops into Vietnam. These are the sorts of secrets that Liberals keep in relation to the business that is before this house. What we want is notice of what the members opposite are about to do by way of ministerial statements. We are not going to sit idly by while you fill up the business paper with longwinded ministerial statements.
MR COLLAERY (Deputy Chief Minister) (3.33): You know, if I were in court, I would win this one hands down, because I
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