Page 3748 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 17 October 1990
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It is good for members to be able to participate freely in the process in an informal way; but that just does not have the same feeling, I have to say, as being involved in the committee in a formal way and being part of the deliberative process. Merely asking the questions is not good enough, in my view. It would have been better for all of the people in this place to be part of a process which formed the views of that committee to be later considered by this Assembly. So I think, Mr Deputy Speaker, that Mr Collaery has been exposed again. He has tried to spread the yarn - - -
Mr Collaery: I have not been exposed; I have been stabbed in the back.
Mr Connolly: Mr Deputy Speaker, on a point of order: that is a reflection on a member of the Government from a Government Minister.
MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! I do not think there is a point of order. Mr Berry, please continue.
MR BERRY: Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. The fact of the matter is that Mr Collaery tried to spread a vicious story in relation to discussions between the parties and between the relevant Whips. Now, I can say from my point of view, and with no disrespect at all for Mrs Nolan, that in future I will make very clear the position of the Government and the Opposition in relation to matters which we have negotiated - and I am sure Mrs Nolan will too - so that we are not again caught in this embarrassing position where the Opposition has to suffer a tirade from the Deputy Chief Minister.
Mr Kaine: I do not know who is suffering the tirade now, Mr Deputy Speaker.
MR BERRY: Well, you are not suffering it too well.
Mr Kaine: No; you are right. I am sick and tired of it.
MR BERRY: Well, it was not meant to please you, Mr Chief Minister. It was meant to get the point across. It was meant to get the message across about the future deliberations of the Assembly's Estimates Committee. Mr Deputy Speaker, this motion will be opposed by the Opposition. In the first place we argued that it should be a committee of the whole, except for the Executive. I think our proposition then was as good as the original proposition by the Government members when they were in Opposition.
I think it is worthwhile, from our point of view, to pursue participation by all of the members of this place in what is a legitimate role for the Estimates Committee, and that is the close scrutiny of the Government's Budget. The Government, of course, does not like that and would prefer not to have itself in a position where it might be
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