Page 3371 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 18 September 1990
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the Assembly. It seems to me that throughout the debate on committees, which has been going on for the life of this Government, they have failed to comprehend the simple fact that Assembly committees are not Government committees and that it is really not open to Mr Duby or Mr Jensen or any other member of the Government to decide who shall be on a committee.
We have heard the kind of allusions made, particularly by Mr Duby in his remarks, as to who would be on that committee. That is absolutely disgraceful. I have no doubt in my mind that with a committee of five members, as has been proposed by Mr Kaine, we would see three Government members. Hands up if I am wrong. We would see, in fact, one member from the Liberals' A team, one from the Liberals' B team, the Rally, and one from the Liberals' C team, whatever they call themselves now. So, there would, in fact, be three Government members on this committee. Does anybody deny that? Resounding silence from those opposite. So, in effect, what we are seeing is a blatant attempt by the Government yet again to control the processes of the Assembly's committees. It is an absolute disgrace. I think it is particularly inappropriate that they will, in effect, leave only two positions on that committee to be filled by three parties. How does that fit in with the standing orders?
Mr Kaine: There are not three parties. What three parties are you talking about?
MS FOLLETT: Well, two parties and an independent, if you want to be nitpicking about it.
Mr Kaine: I am nitpicking about it because you have to be accurate. You are the one who is insisting on being accurate.
MR SPEAKER: Order!
MS FOLLETT: Mr Speaker, it seems to me that this Government is determined to conduct their business in the greatest possible secrecy, as far as possible out of the light of public scrutiny, and I can only conclude it is because they do not have confidence that their Ministers are fully able to support their portfolio budget position or they have something to hide. I think it is a relatively easy conclusion to reach that there is an enormous reluctance on the part of Government members to subject their budget, their work, their expenditure, to the kind of close scrutiny that my government was open to last year. The fact that we had a committee of the whole - - -
Mr Jensen: You will be able to ask the same questions, Rosemary.
Mr Berry: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker! Mr Jensen repeatedly interrupts the Leader of the Opposition. It is about time he was pulled up and the Leader of the Opposition was given a fair go in this - - -
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