Page 1668 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 30 April 1991
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I read Mr Enfield's report to be a rebuke to the administration, not to this Minister. That is how I read it. I am trying to think objectively, trying to project myself across the floor, to see, if I were moving this motion, where I would find my factual base for it. I cannot find it in this document, and that is what Mr Berry relied upon. Mr Berry contradicted his motion on his feet because he talked about Mr Humphries causing a crisis that he, Mr Berry, in his motion, conceded existed.
I became hopelessly lost during Mr Berry's argument. I could not follow the logic of the arguments he was making. I have looked through the Enfield report and I cannot find where Mr Berry could draw some of the conclusions that bridge that gap that Mr Connolly speaks about. The gap, of course, is to find a level of culpability and neglect by this Minister in his administration of his department. Clearly he has almost a solid defence in the Enfield report. I personally believe that Mr Humphries has been more than generous in defending the inadequacies of those managers who appear to have let him down. That was his choice. I would not have done the same thing, but he has done it. That probably speaks well of him.
I want to address Mr Connolly's statement about the fact that Ministers take responsibility for their officials' activities. I am struck by the colossal hypocrisy in a proposition put upon Mr Humphries when I read from Australian Business of 30 January 1991 in which Ms Follett has been quoted. She has not denied it in this house and has had ample opportunity to do so since the sittings commenced after the Christmas break. The report states:
The trouble was that for five of her seven months in office, the administration, from the top down, was under investigation ...
She went on and was quoted as saying:
We just inherited them ... and we should have the best, quite frankly.
So, there is a former leader of the government blaming the events that led to her removal upon the Public Service. It ill behoves - - -
Ms Follett: Oh, Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker; that is a lie.
MR TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!
MR COLLAERY: I ask that that be withdrawn.
MR TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER: Ms Follett, I request that you withdraw that.
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