Page 5420 - Week 17 - Tuesday, 3 December 1991
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MR JENSEN (4.46): In my closing comments on this - as I have only two chances to speak - what concerns me is that the Government seems, for some reason or other, to be concerned about the role of committees in providing advice to the Government. This is really all I have suggested and it is not the first time I have suggested this. I suggested it to the previous Chief Minister when I was chairman of the Planning Committee and an Executive Deputy within the Government. I suggested that the information be provided to the committee before the decision was finalised by the Executive, because it seemed to me that it was very appropriate in a small Assembly such as ours, which is seeking to develop a strong committee system, to use the committee system to provide advice to the Government - and the Assembly, for that matter - in these areas.
It is up to the Government, if it can rustle up the numbers, not to accept the advice of the committee. That is the prerogative of the Government and the Executive, but at least it provides an opportunity for the Executive to listen very carefully to what the committee has to say. As I said, I continually argued for this; I have argued for it all the way along the line. I have been very consistent about this, even in government.
Mr Wood often suggested that we should trust the bureaucracy. Mr Wood said, "Trust the bureaucracy. Trust all those planners out there. They are not going to do you in the eye. They are not going to try to do that to you". What I am saying to Mr Wood, on behalf of the community, is, "Why are you not prepared to trust the good sense of the members of this Assembly in relation to the role of committees?". I think that in general terms, in the life of this parliament, the role of our committees has been quite sensible and generally very appropriate. Mr Wood, as the chairman and member of a large number of committees, I think knows exactly what I am talking about. I think we have built up a process - - -
Mr Wood: I know how long it takes to get things through committees. I well know.
MR JENSEN: That depends on the issue.
Mr Wood: Yes, exactly.
MR JENSEN: That depends on the issue. I think that in most cases the Planning Committee has acted pretty swiftly when they have been asked to comment on these issues.
I also need to correct Mr Wood in relation to the deemed disallowance provisions. It is not total deemed disallowance. There is a requirement for a motion of disallowance to be moved before a debate can be brought on. If no motion is moved, the variation goes through as appropriate. That is different from the requirement for a motion to be moved to support it. That is the major
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