Page 4579 - Week 15 - Wednesday, 20 November 1991
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I ring up constituents after question time and I tell them the answer to their question, and many of them are not very happy at all, I can assure you. Once, when I asked Mr Wood whether he would take some action to avoid young children - 11 or 12 years old - being shown movies in schools that are suitable for children 15 years or over, he said that he would consider whether or not he would discuss it with the Education Department and went on to say that nothing untoward ever happens within the Education Department - an absolute failure to answer the question. I informed the constituent who had raised the matter with me, and he felt so incensed about the particular reply by Mr Wood that he wrote a letter which was published in the Canberra Chronicle - which Mr Wood no doubt saw later on.
It was unfortunate that that happened. These problems can be solved simply by Ministers looking at the question and answering it. Even if they feel that it is a political question, they do not have to answer it in any way other than logically and concisely. My question to Mr Wood on the percentages of people who are concerned about the budget cuts for non-government schools goes to the very basis of democracy - what the majority of people in this community want. I feel that it is one of the most important issues we will ever discuss in this Assembly - what the people want - yet Mr Wood failed to answer the question.
There is too much of it, we have known about it for a long time, and I have been prompted to bring on this matter of public importance to have my say and to allow other MLAs to have their say.
MR KAINE (Leader of the Opposition) (4.23): I must say that it is a sad commentary on the performance of this Government that Mr Stevenson felt it necessary to bring on this matter of public importance. Regrettably, there is a great deal of substance to his complaint that this Government fails to respond to genuine and legitimate questions of interest to the community and to members of this Assembly about what goes on behind the facade of the Executive in government.
It is not just a question of the conventions of ministerial responsibility and accountability; it goes further than that. I would just like to remind the Chief Minister, who unfortunately is not here today, of a statement that she made, which is recorded in the Hansard, on 5 December 1989. She said:
... our Government is committed to open and accountable processes.
She said further - and this was the second great myth:
I believe that we are taking a more consultative approach than any other government in this country.
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