Page 4369 - Week 15 - Wednesday, 21 November 1990
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The situation that I really wanted to speak about was the absolute rubbish that Mr Berry came out with when he claimed that the Administration and Procedures Committee was in fact politicised. The committee approached this action that it has taken in a very serious and long-term look at the problem. This Assembly, and the decisions taken today and in the next week, will possibly carry through for the next hundred years. We have to take the correct decisions. This particular issue, on section 65 of the Act and standing orders 200 and 201, must be dealt with at an appropriate level and resolved in a final manner. We cannot keep going on, as you claim. We have had two legal opinions and, unfortunately, my understanding of the legal profession is that, no matter what opinions you get, someone will always challenge them.
To that end, I believe that the appropriate action is to go to the Federal Attorney-General. It is the Federal Government's Act. That is why it is absolute drivel for Mr Berry to say that this has been politicised because the Liberal led Government did not agree with the approach taken by the committee and so has gone against it. The committee has gone to the Federal Attorney-General who, if I may refresh your memory, happens to be a member of the Labor Party. How can you then draw the conclusion that the committee has been politicised? I just would like to sit on that remark and say: absolute rubbish!
MR COLLAERY (Deputy Chief Minister) (11.23), in reply: There being no other speakers, Mr Deputy Speaker, and most of the time for private members' business having expired because of a pointless debate that the Opposition has put on today, I will close the debate.
There have been a number of comments around the floor. The substantive ones have come from this side. No speaker on the other side has rebutted the propositions we put. Firstly, is it true that Mr Brazil himself, who was nominated in committee as the person whose opinion should be sought by Mr Berry - we have learned that on the floor - said that it would be proper to get an opinion of queen's counsel? We have not heard an admission on that. Secondly, the Government is clearly attempting to make this a prudent course of conduct. On the other hand, the Opposition takes a very immature, sometimes juvenile, approach to this issue, as it does to many others. The juvenile behaviour of some members yesterday, in wearing badges into the chamber, is something you do not see in other parliaments around the country.
You have no idea, Mr Deputy Speaker, what I hear from Federal Labor people about the local Labor people. You have no idea what they think of the miserable performance of most of the Labor people opposite. I exclude a couple. But certainly they are appalled and they are not too excited about any prospect of this bunch getting back into power again at any time. I doubt, given their factional disputes at the time, which transcend any of the healthy
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