Page 665 - Week 02 - Thursday, 21 February 1991

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .


Mr Moore: The Speaker has ruled the opposite.

MR KAINE: Standing order 217 - - -

MR SPEAKER: Yes, under standing orders; but when the standing orders are suspended that is a different matter. If the circumstance is that the - - -

MR KAINE: If the standing orders are suspended, that is a different matter.

MR SPEAKER: Mr Berry, your objection is not upheld. Please proceed, Chief Minister.

MR KAINE: The fact is that we do not need a select committee and, by adopting the proposal put forward in Mr Collaery's original motion, we would in fact be creating a committee of seven members. Furthermore, we would be creating a committee of seven members who have already had access to all of the public comment that has been made on these Bills. The Government has provided both of the committees with the draft Bills and with all of the comment that has come in. So the information is there. At the end of this month, when the second round of consultation is over, those two committees will again be provided with all of the public comment. So there is simply no requirement to establish yet another committee when the existing committees, collectively, can do the job.

I totally oppose the amendment; for example, this provision for reporting by 10 September 1991. A number of times in recent weeks these people over here have criticised the Government for the length of time that it is taking to get the legislation in place - because we are going through a public consultation process. We are going through a comprehensive public consultation process - and they hate it - and we have very significant input. We have a program that would see that legislation in place by the middle of the year. For Mr Berry to now put forward an amendment that this committee does not even report until 10 September 1991 is quite patently stupid.

Mr Berry: I raise a point of order. That is inaccurate.

MR SPEAKER: I have a point of order from Mr Berry. Order, Chief Minister! Resume your seat, please.

Mr Kaine: He is moving that the committee shall report by 10 September 1991. It is in his own amendment.

MR SPEAKER: Order!

Mr Berry: You said "until".

Mr Connolly: There is a big difference between "by" and "until"; that is the maximum date.


Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .