Page 2307 - Week 08 - Friday, 21 June 1991
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is drafted and ready for introduction in a public corruption Bill. This will also confer a level of independence upon that large number of honest public servants who need protection for speaking on behalf of the community when they speak, perhaps, of corruption, excessive waste and the like.
It is fundamentally wrong that a powerful group in any Assembly reserves to itself the overwhelming share of resources for staffing and positions. I stress, members, that that is particularly applicable on committees, where clearly a deal is being stitched up across the floor, again between the major groupings, to deal with the committee elections.
Mr Humphries: What about your deal, Bernard?
MR COLLAERY: Mr Humphries interjects, asking about our deal. Our deal to do with the Leader of the Opposition was a clearly enunciated goal, a clear warning which I gave on Matt Abraham's radio program the other morning. Mr Humphries chose not to listen and criticised the comments. That was a clear clue as to what might happen, and you ignored it, to your peril. I commend Mr Abraham for that program.
Mr Humphries' reversion to the old approach does not augur well for this chamber. It is, in fact, inconsistent with Mr Kaine's interest in creating a more collegiate structure, and we endorse his earlier comments. We do not accept that the office of Leader of the Opposition should exist; but, given the fact that we are unable to abolish the relevant standing orders at this stage - the major parties having at least nine votes between them - and not being entirely clear where Mr Moore stands, we have resolved to share out the resources allocated to that unwanted post.
Accordingly, there will be an equitable redistribution of the $146,000 staffing and resources budget among all non-government members of the Assembly - including the Liberal members but excluding the Speaker, who has a separate allocation. Moreover, the elected leader will not accept the extra salary attributable to the position. He has said that the money may be waived, returned to the budget or lawfully distributed to charity. We will leave that to him.
This brings me to the position of shadow Ministers. We now inform the house that there will be no appointments as shadow Ministers. I congratulate those mature elements in the media who have recognised the incongruity of a small group of Liberals announcing a shadow ministry. The media has used the expression "the spokesperson", and we accept that that should be the formula. Likewise, we reject the notion that it is necessary for the Chief Minister of this
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