Page 698 - Week 03 - Thursday, 21 May 1992
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that both sides of the house attempt to do so. I believe that a referral to a committee is one of the most significant issues that this Assembly deals with, and referrals to those committees are matters which should be shown due regard.
The next matter is an order of the day for consideration of a motion moved upon the presentation of a committee report or the government response to a committee report. I believe that it is appropriate that we highlight a period of time when we can expect the Government to respond to committee reports, where such a response is called for. To me, that is part of the due process of this Assembly, and identifying a time for that to occur is an appropriate management of that business.
Next is any notice of motion to disallow, disapprove or declare void and of no effect any instrument made under any Act of the Assembly which provides for the instrument to be the subject of disallowance or disapproval et cetera, et cetera. This quite clearly says not only to the members of the Assembly but also to members of the public who take an interest in the affairs of the Assembly and the business of the Assembly that this will be the time when these matters will be considered. As you would know, Madam Speaker, we are not always able to identify a particular time in the day when a particular matter will be discussed and deliberated on, so it is appropriate that we have now identified such a time for the purposes outlined in this report.
In conclusion, I again wish to extend my appreciation to the Clerk of the Assembly and his staff, the deputy clerks, who have provided once again, from a very free and frank exchange of views in the Administration and Procedures Committee, such an accurate and well presented reflection of the deliberations of that committee. I would propose that this Assembly defeat the proposition that the matter be adjourned and in fact adopt it today.
MR HUMPHRIES, by leave: Madam Speaker, I do not wish to traverse the substantive issues within this matter. As Mr Cornwell has indicated, there are still issues that concern the Liberal Party and to which we would rather have more time given before it is rushed into enactment today. However, that is the view of the Assembly, quite clearly, and that is a matter of great regret to me.
There is ample evidence, it would seem to me, that this Assembly, on occasions not so distantly in the past, has made the mistake of considering matters with too little time to properly do the job. In fact, when this matter is completed, we will go on to consider a Bill which I will be arguing contains much evidence of haste. Now we are going to do the same thing again, apparently, with respect to this matter, and I think it is a matter of great regret.
Let me make it quite clear that Mr Lamont and Mr Connolly, who interjected during that debate, misconceived the role of representatives of particular parties on various committees of the Assembly. Mr De Domenico, for example, sits on the Administration and Procedures Committee on behalf of the Liberal Party. It is not his job on that committee, any more than it ought to be Mr Lamont's job on that committee with respect to the Labor Party, to determine issues coming before that committee, finally and once and for all, on behalf of the whole Assembly. If that were the case, why is this paper coming to the Assembly at all? It might as well just be passed by the Administration and Procedures Committee.
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