Page 3049 - Week 11 - Tuesday, 10 September 1991
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elsewhere, and you know how scarce the public dollar is. For you to spend $3,000 of public money to go to Hobart on Labor Party business is simply inexplicable. You cannot explain it; you cannot justify it.
The next question is: How much did the Chief Minister spend when she travelled and took at least one staff member with her? That is further information that we would like to have, that I am sure the media would like to have and that I am sure the general public would like to have. If it cost you three grand, by the time you add the Chief Minister's, we are getting pretty close to $10,000. That is not chickenfeed in anybody's language, and you cannot justify that in today's economic climate. As I said before, there is no social justice in that. How you can sit there and attempt to justify it is absolutely beyond me. You have no conscience, social or otherwise.
PERSONAL EXPLANATION
MR HUMPHRIES: I also seek leave to make a statement under standing order 46.
Leave granted.
MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, during the interchange about travel, Mr Berry leaned across the chamber and said, in my direction, "What about the Liberal Education Ministers - - -
Mr Berry: And spokespersons.
MR HUMPHRIES: Spokespersons, or whatever. That was not what he said. He did say "Ministers", in fact. Whatever the words were, Mr Speaker, the clear implication of that was that I travelled to one or other or both of two meetings of Liberal education spokesmen while I was a Minister at public expense. I did not do so. I travelled to those meetings on both occasions at my own expense entirely. I think that for Mr Berry to try to pretend that the low standards that he sets in government - - -
Mr Berry: More fool you.
MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, we see what kind of contemptuous attitude we have from this Government towards the wasting of taxpayers' money. The fact of life, Mr Speaker, is that I do not wish to be tarred by the same low standards adopted by this Government. When I travelled as a Minister to party functions I travelled under my own steam. I think that the present Government would do well to use the same standard in their office.
Mr Berry: I would like to raise - - -
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