Page 5843 - Week 18 - Tuesday, 10 December 1991
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would have to have the Chief Minister or Leader of the Opposition sitting in, and that might not be convenient in the circumstances. I believe that we should use the conventional model, and I think Mr Stefaniak's amendments do just that.
MS FOLLETT (Chief Minister and Treasurer) (9.40): I indicate that the Government will not be supporting Mr Stefaniak's amendments. I put that position because I really do not think the amendments are necessary or desirable. Mr Stefaniak has tried to be too prescriptive in the composition of the board by nominating who should be on it - the Chief Minister or her nominee and the Leader of the Opposition or his nominee - and I do not think that is necessary.
The Bill as it stands now makes clear provision for both the Government and the Opposition to be represented on the board. As Mr Collaery has said, it is quite possible that, within the arrangements made by the board, those members could have alternates available, which would cover the situation of a government or opposition member not being available or not being suited to sit on a particular matter.
I do not think we should try to be too prescriptive about it at this point. I indicate that I, for one, whether as Chief Minister or in my strictly previous role as Leader of the Opposition, do not believe that it would have been appropriate or desirable for me to sit on this board. I do not, therefore, support the inclusion of that kind of prescriptive aspect in the legislation.
Amendments negatived.
MR COLLAERY (9.42), by leave: I move:
Page 4, line 25, paragraph 7(1)(b), after the word "Members", add "or an alternate Government Member elected in accordance with the relevant procedures at a meeting convened by the Speaker, of Government Members".
Page 4, line 28, after the word "Members", insert "or an alternate Opposition Member elected in accordance with the relevant procedures at a meeting convened by the Speaker, of Opposition Members".
Essentially, the amendments add at the end of each of the two paragraphs provision for an alternate elected according to the same procedures by the same members. It is a standard provision that corporations use to ensure that there is an alternate available for board functions.
This provides a non-controversial, non-adversarial way of resolving those vestigial issues in the Assembly that the last few speakers alluded to. We feel that Mr Stefaniak was probably correct in drawing attention to the fact that
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