Page 553 - Week 02 - Thursday, 21 February 1991
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The Chief Minister indicated towards the end of last year that he would be doing something about the committees, and for that reason I backed off when I was prepared to bring this matter to a head. Now we see in his interjections, while Mr Berry was talking, that, in fact, he is intending to do nothing about them. I hope that that was something that was said in the heat of the moment, as does happen in this Assembly. With that in mind, I urge the Chief Minister to reconsider that and to do something about the committees. One of the most valuable parts of this parliament is the committees, when they are working well. In most cases that is the case. Let us make this committee work well. Chief Minister, I urge you strongly to respond in a positive way, and to rearrange the chairs of the committees where there is an Executive Deputy with the same responsibility in charge of a committee.
MR KAINE (Chief Minister), by leave: Mr Speaker, I am becoming heartily sick of the cop-outs on the Labor benches, who are refusing to participate in committees. They take their money, but they will not participate.
Mr Berry: You are the one who said that you would do something.
MR KAINE: Mr Speaker, I did undertake to do something. I had a look; I reviewed the situation; I came to the conclusion that the committees of this Assembly are properly constituted. They have membership from the Opposition. It is totally untrue to assert that they are not independent. The members of this Government who happen to be chairmen of committees are in no way directed by this Government; they are certainly not directed by me in any way as to how they will perform their duties as members of committees.
The Labor Party is a bunch of cop-outs who will not do what they are paid for. They sit on the outskirts and all they do is snipe at the committees. The reason why this particular committee - and I will take Mr Moore's point - is not working well is that Mr Berry will not participate. If he would do what he was paid for and attend the committee meetings and participate and produce proper reports to this Assembly that represent the views of both sides of the house, we would be a lot better off. It is not the actions of anybody on this side of the house which cause the committees to have a difficult time when having meetings and producing results; it is because Mr Berry, having been elected by his party to sit on a committee, will not participate.
How can he then sit there and say that it is the problem of this side of the house? The fault lies squarely with Mr Berry. It is a simple fact. It is unarguable. Mr Connolly can sit up the back and snipe and sneer; but, if Mr Berry will put his money where his mouth is, do what he is paid to do, honour his obligation to this Assembly when
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