Page 3747 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 17 October 1990
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MR BERRY (3.37): Again we have seen an example of Mr Collaery seeking to grab any opportunity to spread rumour and the big fib about members of the Opposition and, in particular, the Labor Party. Mr Speaker, I want to place on record the issue of negotiations between me and Mrs Nolan in relation to the order of business today and to put the facts on record. The fact of the matter is that Mrs Nolan advised me of the Government's intention in relation to the Estimates Committee and I took her advice on board. I did not advise her that the Opposition would be opposing the Government's position; neither did I advise her that we would be agreeing with it.
As anybody with any understanding of politics and the political nature of the parties within this place would understand - and Mr Collaery has apologised on many occasions for his lack of understanding of it - there have to be negotiations and discussions with one's colleagues and if there was any information to be conveyed to the Government as a result of those negotiations or discussions it would have been conveyed.
Today, Mrs Nolan approached me in this place and said that she expected that we would oppose the position that was being put by the Government. I agreed that we were going to oppose it. My understanding now is that that was conveyed somewhere along the line to the Deputy Chief Minister.
Mr Speaker, I will take the opportunity at any point to expose the flaws of the Government members opposite, particularly when they rise to attack on such a hollow base. This issue, I think, fully exposes the folly of the Government's opposition to what was proposed by the Labor Party in the first place in relation to the Estimates Committee and what was proposed when the Follett Government was in place in relation to the Estimates Committee, and that was that all of the members of the Assembly, except those on the Executive, of course, could be part of the Estimates Committee.
I think this demonstration from the Government members opposite has clearly pointed to the hypocrisy of the opposition to that which was proposed for the 1990 round of discussions before the Estimates Committee. In fact, they have been hoisted. When one has a look at the standing orders, I think it would have been quite appropriate for the Estimates Committee to have been made up of all of the membership of this Assembly. I must say, Mr Speaker, that because of the size of this Assembly it is difficult to maintain a representation on the Estimates Committee at all times. For that very reason it would be convenient for most members if they were able to participate in the process. This would, in fact, subject the Government to more scrutiny than is the case with the restricted numbers which have been imposed by the Government.
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