Page 2492 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 7 August 1991
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manage his own office, that is his problem. It is nobody else's problem. He cannot blame anybody else in this Assembly. It is no good making promises you cannot live up to.
Mr Speaker, in all of this there has been a genuine effort to sort out the problems that Mr Collaery had raised. In the early stages of this Government there was a genuine attempt to sort out the positions for which Mr Collaery had put in a claim in relation to committees, and the same approach was taken in relation to other members. But, as usual, Mr Collaery did not play a straight bat on the negotiations and moved, of course, to try to secure the resources of the Leader of the Opposition for himself and his own party.
Ms Follett: As it was then - the "Whatever-it-was-called party".
MR BERRY: As it was then. A new party was formed - a new party that we have not heard about in this week's sitting; it has been forgotten - to secure the resources of the Leader of the Opposition for that party, and specifically the car for Mr Duby. Let us not forget all of those things. Mr Duby wanted Trevor's car. These are the sorts of things that are going on, and they have to be wheeled out up front. I am not going to have my integrity reflected upon by the sorts of people who would do these sorts of things in this place.
The next chapter in this arose after I had said, in debate on the first day of this new Government, that all bets were off. The first thing that happened was another approach about Mr Collaery's staff. That has been going on and on, and we have been trying to address the issues as they arise. The latest issue has been a complaint that he needed to have an ASO6 to assist him as a research person because he had far too much work to do by himself. Other members managed to do it whilst they were in opposition, but Mr Collaery does not seem to be able to do it.
The real problem arose when we attempted to negotiate a review. Yes, it has been said that a review would be conducted; but, when you do not know what the other side is doing, it is very difficult to proceed with a review and lay all the cards on the table. So, I must say that I have been quite reluctant to deal with the Residents Rally because they have been unreliable. I have to say that in the last day or so they have proved it again. They served a demand on the Government to provide them with extra staff, gave us a deadline of 2.30 pm yesterday, and approached the Chief Minister on this question.
The Chief Minister advised them that if they wanted an answer yesterday on the issue of more staff resources for themselves the answer would be no; otherwise they could agree to a review. Yesterday they agreed to a review. Today they want the Assembly to decide it.
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