Page 4447 - Week 15 - Wednesday, 21 November 1990
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both the assistant commissioner and indeed, Mr Morgan, the Treasury official who has been part of the Treasury working party. Clearly, the assertion by the Leader of the Opposition, that it has not had the opportunity to scrutinise it, is an empty one.
What on earth is the Estimates Committee process for? It is for that scrutiny. If she did not attend and took no interest in the proceedings, then that is her problem. Mr Connolly said, "We know what the cost is this year. We do not know what it is going to be next year", and he makes a number of simplistic assertions. It was pointed out to the Estimates Committee, in the presence of Mr Connolly, by the Chief Law Officer on 9 October that the arrangement with the Commonwealth includes this provision:
That special transitional problems encountered in the provision of policing will be taken into account in determining general transitional arrangements for 91-92, 92-93, and the levels for any special revenue assistance.
There is an answer to the question that Mr Connolly has put to us this evening. Certainly the main questions posed about what the cost is, and what the community perception is, can be better answered when we ourselves know what exactly is in the current policing arrangement - what the costs are, where the police assets are, where all the equipment is properly located. This is a major issue we are taking over and, unlike with many of the other issues that were forced on us with self-government - and forced on us during seven months of very, very low-key Labor administration when it did not take the battle up to the Commonwealth - we are, just for once, in the strong position of being able to say to the Commonwealth, "Well, hold on there. We are going to look and see what you are going to drop on us before we take it over".
That is the fundamental difference about this arrangement: we are going to see what is going to be put on to us before we take it over. We have the competent assistance of the Treasury, and we have thrown this process open in the Estimates Committee - 29 pages of transcript. The Leader of the Opposition's statements, once again, are just claptrap.
Proposed expenditure agreed to.
Department of Justice and Community Services
Proposed expenditure - Division 140 - Housing, $28,079,500
Debate (on motion by Mrs Grassby) adjourned.
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