Page 3436 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 19 September 1990
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and that was the statement of pecuniary interests which we all filled in. There again Mr Berry raised comments in relation to conduct of members when certain things happened to them, and indeed propriety has been seen to prevail there as well. We are a parliament in Australia in the Westminster system and in the best traditions of British democracy.
There is another point which concerns me. If the Administration and Procedures Committee deems that there should be another committee of the Assembly to examine and deal with this very important issue, so be it. But it may well be that that committee itself can in fact take the very important question of ethics on board.
We are a small Assembly of 17 people and we have a number of standing committees: the Administration and Procedures Committee, the Conservation, Heritage and Environment Committee; the Legal Affairs Committee; the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Committee; the Public Accounts Committee; the Scrutiny of Bills Committee; and the Social Policy Committee. That are some seven standing committees and, at present, we have some select committees. We have the Cultural Activities and Facilities Committee, the Estimates Committee and the HIV, Illegal Drugs and Prostitution Committee - 10 committees for 17 members. Of course, Mr Speaker, you, as Speaker, are on only one of them and the four Executive members of the Government cannot sit on a committee. Accordingly, if we take those out of that equation there are only 12 members of this Assembly to go around 10 committees, seven of which are standing. There is a physical problem.
Mr Duby: The Opposition will not go on them.
MR STEFANIAK: And, indeed, as Mr Duby says, the Opposition will not play, in a couple of instances, on a couple of our committees. There are only 12 people to go around 10 committees and this is a problem. So I think it is very important for us and the Administration and Procedures Committee to really look and see whether indeed it is essential for a separate standing committee to be set up or whether this most important job can be done by an existing committee. Probably that would be the right way to go because it is essential that we have guidelines for the conduct of members of this Assembly and, indeed, that there be a committee that looks at them. We have one that can do it at present, and that may well be the most appropriate body.
So the thrust of Ms Follett's motion, I think, is substantially along the right track; however, I think she might be doing a little bit of political point scoring in trying to set up a separate committee and gain some kudos for that. I commend Mr Humphries' sensible motion to the Assembly and I will be interested to see the result of the deliberations of the Administration and Procedures Committee.
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