Page 1598 - Week 05 - Thursday, 18 April 1991
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That is an interesting reversal of our argument. We are saying, "Because you are an Executive Deputy you cannot serve as a committee chair". What Mr Jensen is, in effect, saying here is, "Because I am a committee chair, I cannot serve as an Executive Deputy. I cannot be a spokesperson on a government issue because I am a chair". It is the other side of the same coin and illustrates clearly that, even in Mr Jensen's view, he cannot, when chair of the committee, exercise what we are told is the only function of an Executive Deputy, and that is, being some form of policy mouthpiece for the Government.
Mr Jensen stands condemned by his own words. He has made it clear, in a public statement to the ABC which was broadcast to all of Canberra, that there is an inherent conflict between acting as a government spokesperson and being the chair of a committee. That is even assuming that all an Executive Deputy does is act as a government spokesperson. When you hold yourself out as some form of ministerial officer, when you hold yourself out, with the panoply of ministerial letterheads, as being part of the executive government, it makes it even clearer that you ought not to be the chair of the committee.
Mrs Grassby: As the poor residents of Calwell had to find out.
MR CONNOLLY: As Mrs Grassby says, when the residents of Calwell receive letters like this - "Office of the Chief Minister" - they assume that they are dealing with somebody who has some power and authority, somebody who can help them; but, of course, that is not the case. The case for the Opposition on this issue is continually made out, and today it has been made out by the words of government members.
Executive Deputies - Committees
MR MOORE (6.07): Mr Speaker, I would like to follow on from Mr Connolly's speech. Last night I had the pleasure of being at the soon to be condemned Lyons Primary School, along with a number of my colleagues from the Assembly, including Ms Follett, Mr Connolly, Mr Wood and Mr Jensen. We spent time speaking to members of the community about how they should respond to the draft variations proposed for cutting the heart out of their community.
Amongst other things, Mr Jensen mentioned that medium density residential development could provide for them another Burnie Court. It went down like a lead balloon for the residents of Lyons because they could see just what might come out of this variation. Not only do they lose their school, but this Alliance Government appears to be attempting to turn their suburb into a ghetto. We have to grant to Mr Jensen that he did go there and he did respond to people's questions, and no doubt he developed some scar tissue from the encounter.
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