Page 4432 - Week 15 - Wednesday, 21 November 1990
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wanted to travel very often it was impossible to do so. There were a lot of ministerial and other meetings to which her Ministers would normally have gone that were rescheduled because of that.
There was no opportunity for her Ministers to attend some of the things that they would otherwise have attended. To suggest, as appears to be being suggested by the Opposition, that a Minister of this Government should abstain from going to ministerial council meetings when all other Ministers from the Commonwealth, the States and the other Territory attend, that we should abdicate our responsibility to represent the interests of this community at such meetings, and that we should not go through those things which are necessary parts of government, is an absurdity.
I am quite sure that if and when the Opposition ever gets into government its members will travel to the same kind of ministerial council meetings that we do, as they should, and they will not be criticised by the opposition of the day because they would be properly carrying out the responsibilities of their ministerial office. I find it petty and, in fact, cheap point scoring to suggest that somehow, because a Minister goes to a ministerial council meeting, he is wasting public money when, on the contrary, the Minister is there representing the interests of this community. That is quite unacceptable.
MS FOLLETT (Leader of the Opposition) (4.21): Mr Speaker, I would just like it noted that the Chief Minister has still not taken responsibility for that part of his program. He has made it quite clear that he will not exercise control over ministerial travel.
Mr Kaine: I think you should go and read the Hansard when it is published.
MS FOLLETT: I will, indeed, Mr Speaker, but I distinctly heard Mr Kaine say that he would not exercise that control over ministerial travel. My question remains, Mr Speaker: If he will not, who will? It is quite clearly a program for which he is accountable.
MR KAINE (Chief Minister and Treasurer) (4.22): I have answered the point. It is on the record, Mr Speaker.
Proposed expenditure agreed to.
Proposed expenditure - Division 30 - Economic Development, $6,546,700
MR MOORE (4.22): Mr Speaker, I believe it is appropriate to raise here for consideration an issue that came out through the Estimates Committee hearings; that is, the issue of rental being appropriately attributed to each program and, in particular, the cost of rental for what was the Office of Industry and Development which moved to the Canberra Centre.
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