Page 501 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 20 February 1991
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do. That being so, I hope that the members of the Public Accounts Committee, who I accept are quite capable of independent thinking, will look at this again and determine whether it is an appropriate task for them to take on. It would be a sad day for public accountability and for the committees if a sensible motion such as this, for a committee to consider something that is of concern to the public, were to be rejected.
Many members of the public spoke to me about this when it was made public. Because the matter is of concern it is quite appropriate for it to be taken care of by a committee, and the diatribe we had from the Chief Minister was quite inappropriate. He seems to think that he is the only one who understands anything about budgets and accountability and that, if he yells down somebody else and says, "You do not know anything", that line will work. If he goes back to the sittings of the Estimates Committee, he might recall that when he attempted to use that line and we had the chance to face him on a one to one basis, it got him absolutely nowhere.
Mr Kaine: You did not do too well either.
MR MOORE: He interjects, "He did not do too well either". He is quite right; he did not do too well, and the public is not convinced that he is doing too well as far as these things are concerned. I ask you to reconsider. You have the opportunity now to allow this to be referred to the Public Accounts Committee. The Estimates Committee is entirely inappropriate. Unless you wish to re-establish the Estimates Committee to run at a different time from normal, then the Public Accounts Committee is the appropriate place for the reference.
Question put:
That the motion (Mr Moore's) be agreed to.
The Assembly voted -
AYES, 7 NOES, 10
Mr Berry Mr Collaery
Mr Connolly Mr Duby
Ms Follett Mr Humphries
Mrs Grassby Mr Jensen
Mr Moore Mr Kaine
Mr Stevenson Dr Kinloch
Mr Wood Ms Maher
Mrs Nolan
Mr Prowse
Mr Stefaniak
Question so resolved in the negative.
Sitting suspended from 12.29 to 2.30 pm
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