Page 3064 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 17 November 1992
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Mr Wood: Is Mrs Carnell on the committee? She does not want to do it.
MR BERRY: She does not want to do it? I will bet Mrs Carnell turns up to every committee meeting, though.
Mr Moore: She has never missed one, as I remember.
MR BERRY: That is right. So I think there is a little bit of division there.
Mr Kaine: You never turned up to any committee meeting when you were in opposition.
MR BERRY: I was too busy looking after the mess that the Liberals created while they were in government. There had to be somebody out there defending the community while you people ran riot through the health and education systems. Heaven's above! Madam Speaker, notwithstanding all the effort Mr Kaine has put into the debate, it was rather hollow. He has not swayed the Government in any way in its commitment to support the motion proposed by Mr Moore.
MR DE DOMENICO (4.45), by leave: Madam Speaker, I crave your indulgence for a little while. Things were going along smoothly. Notwithstanding that there was a difference of opinion, Mr Moore thanked the Opposition for agreeing to extend the life of the committee to the end of March. But Mr Berry, in his usual way, stood up and purported to be the paragon of virtue in this place.
Mr Kaine: If there is a Liberal head up, you kick it.
MR DE DOMENICO: You kick it, even when you cannot see it, with someone of my size. If you can get a glimpse of it, you kick it as much as you can. If that is the way Mr Berry wants to conduct business in this place, that is for Mr Berry to do. Luckily, he seems to be alone, as Mr Berry is from time to time in all sorts of places.
For the reasons Mr Kaine put, this committee seems to be going on and on. The three members of the committee are doing their duty. Mrs Carnell, it was said, turns up every time; I dare say that Mrs Grassby turns up every time as well. They have done a wonderful job. Their terms of reference have expired. They have done what they were supposed to do. Mr Moore now says that he wants to interview kids in years 9 and 10, on the recommendation of people they have interviewed in years 11 and 12. They recommended that Mr Moore should interview younger students.
Mr Cornwell quite rightly said that perhaps Mr Moore should, first of all, seek the permission of the principals, and we have yet to hear Mr Moore acknowledging that. I dare say that he will do that. As someone who has children within the age group Mr Moore would like to interview - not that I think the school my children are with will give him permission, thank God - I would like to be consulted too. Everybody else might smile and say that they are prepared to have their children put through this sort of interview. I do not know what sort of interview Mr Moore and his committee are going to conduct with the children.
Mr Wood: But you know your attitude already. You do not know what he is going to talk about, but you know that you are against it.
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