Page 492 - Week 02 - Thursday, 25 February 1993
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Ms Follett: Why did your Whip not talk to you?
MR KAINE: It has not been discussed with anybody, Chief Minister. I understand that Ms Szuty came down the corridor half an hour ago and told a couple of members of the Liberal Party that they were going to do it. This is your interpretation of consultation. You are like this lot over here. You come and tell somebody that you intend to do something. You do not intend to debate it in any way, and you do not intend to debate it now. You have the numbers and you are going to ram it through.
Madam Speaker, I remind members of this Assembly that there is a standing order that talks about representation on committees in proportion to numbers. These two so-called Independents have a higher representation on committees, even now, than they are entitled to under the standing orders, because they have a deal with you. That is why they have a higher membership. Now you are proposing to increase that. I suggest, Chief Minister and members of the Government, that you might think about that. This used to be a democratic institution. It is now nothing but a chamber for you people to impose on the rest of us whatever you feel inclined to do, without discussion.
Mr Moore: You did not do that when you were in the Alliance! Ha, ha!
MR KAINE: The great democrat, Mr Moore, laughs. Mr Moore has no interest in having anything debated here or anywhere else, unless it is one of his Bills. Then he gets very interested in community consultation and discussion, and this is a typical case. Mr Moore does not want to debate this because he has made a deal. Mr Moore is going to get an additional committee position out of this, and you people are all happy about it. Quite frankly, you amaze me and, quite frankly, you appal me.
If this is to be done, let us talk about it and think about it and reach some agreement on it. What would you do if I came in this morning and suggested an amendment that put an additional Liberal on every committee in this Assembly? You would resist it because you would argue that we were asking for more than we were entitled to. But you are prepared to go along with these two Independents, the tails wagging the dog, and give them a number of places on committees that they are not entitled to. Why? Because Mr Moore wants to influence the outcomes on some issues that he cannot currently influence. Is this in the interests of the members of the Government? Is this in your interests? Why do you not look me in the eye, just one of you? You all look away because you do not want to hear what I have to say. You have not the courage of any convictions.
You allow Mr Moore's tail to wag the dog. You allow Mr Moore to determine the issues for you, and he is going to continue to do it for the life of this Assembly. If you people are so gutless that you allow this to occur, you all go down considerably in my estimation. Quite frankly, I cannot believe that you can attempt to impose this on the Assembly without the opportunity to discuss it, without the opportunity to think about the ramifications. I hope that Mr Lamont, of all people, will listen to what I have to say.
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