Page 2688 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 13 August 1991
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MR COLLAERY: As Mr Kaine interjects, it is a statutory office. The whole idea of an Auditor-General is to dictate that, if there are any financial scandals within government or within executive government, they be revealed candidly and without fear or favour by the Auditor-General. Mr Speaker, I would like to feel more comfortable about Mr O'Neill's appointment before I referred to the Auditor-General the matter I mentioned earlier that produced Mr Connolly's extraordinary reaction.
Just to get the record straight, I will read from the letter from Mr O'Neill to Ms Follett of 7 June. He said that he was told that a Remuneration Tribunal determination on salary would be made. He then wrote:
The Act provides that an acting appointment cannot be longer than 12 months therefore my acting term expires on 30 June 1991. Last month, in the absence of any Tribunal determination, the then Chief Minister -
that is Mr Kaine -
advised me that he was taking action to make my appointment permanent in the knowledge that I would retire in July 1992, but events have overtaken that.
He went on to address the issue. It seems clear, of course, that it was open to the Chief Minister, if she had some ambivalent feelings about the current occupant, at least to respond to him with that courtesy and advise that she appointed him for a set period so that he would have tenure within the process of current inquiries and investigations.
MR BERRY (Minister for Health and Minister for Sport), by leave: Once again Mr Collaery has been off on one of his corruption fantasy trips. He has embarked on another course of innuendo and smear. In fact, besides Dennis Stevenson, he is the biggest smear merchant in the place, I suspect.
Dr Kinloch: Mr Speaker, I raise a point of order. Neither of those comments need be made. I ask that they be withdrawn.
MR SPEAKER: Yes, I think you are trying to incite further reaction, Mr Berry.
Ms Follett: Mr Speaker, speaking to the point of order, we just had a lengthy debate from Mr Collaery over his views on whether the Federal Police should be called in to investigate actions of my Government. If that is not a smear, I do not know what is. In the event, all that Mr Collaery withdrew was any imputation of criminal activity. He did not withdraw the smear. Mr Berry has quite rightly referred to that as a smear tactic, and it is. He should not be required to withdraw it.
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