Page 3373 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 24 November 1992
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in order to achieve some advantage. Whatever adverse comments they might get from such a process, they are, to some extent, counterbalanced and offset by what sometimes can be quite substantial electoral advantage from particular decisions in particular cases. That, Madam Speaker, is the essence of what this is all about. It is to make this process we are putting in place here as clean as it possibly can be. What more laudable objective could we have than that?
Question put:
That the amendment (Mr Humphries's) be agreed to.
The Assembly voted -
AYES, 7 NOES, 8
Mr Cornwell Mr Berry
Mr De Domenico Mr Connolly
Mr Humphries Ms Ellis
Mr Kaine Ms Follett
Mr Stevenson Mrs Grassby
Ms Szuty Ms McRae
Mr Westende Mr Moore
Mr Wood
Question so resolved in the negative.
MR HUMPHRIES (9.09), by leave: I move:
Page 3, line 31, after subclause (2) insert the following subclause:
"(2B) Before a person is appointed as a member, the Chief Minister shall consult -
(a) the leader of each political party represented in the Legislative Assembly; and
(b) all members of the Legislative Assembly who are not also members of such a party;
about the proposed appointment.".
Madam Speaker, I think we have already agreed that this should be enacted. This is a provision which provides for consultation to occur between the Government and each party leader and Independent who sits in the chamber. It is simply a way of making sure that the appointments that we make in this place do not reach the stage of having to have the sort of process that Mr Moore is on about.
We are talking here, in the case of, for example, the chairman of the commission, of someone with considerable standing in the community, hopefully - a judge or former judge, a former High Court justice, a former departmental head; people with great standing in the community - and it would be unfortunate if that appointment were to be kicked around in the Assembly in a political fashion. Therefore, this process is designed to provide for a level of consultation in the Assembly, or among members of the Assembly, such that the process Mr Moore seeks to put in place is not necessary. Obviously, it might on occasions
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