Page 497 - Week 02 - Thursday, 25 February 1993
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MR HUMPHRIES (11.26): Madam Speaker, I also am disturbed by the tendency to do deals behind closed doors in this place and to effect changes to the way in which our committee system works by agreements which are worked out but which the Liberal Party is involved with only afterwards - to be advised about the changes that have been made, not to be consulted about whether those changes should be made in the first place. Those opposite might care to characterise that in some different way for the benefit of the public gallery and the media, but I have no doubt at all that the discussions about these changes to committees occurred quite some time before late last night, that they went on for quite some time before they were first raised with us, and that agreement was substantially reached between the Government and the Independents before this matter was broached with the Liberal Party.
Madam Speaker, we rely on standing order 221. It is a perfectly clear and sensible standing order, which states:
Membership of committees shall be composed of representatives of all groups and parties in the Assembly as nearly as practicable proportional to their representation in the Assembly.
How near to practicable is representation by our two Independent members on the Assembly? I have just had a quick look at the figures. At present the Liberals hold about 35 per cent of the seats in the Assembly and we hold about 37 per cent of seats on committees. So there is an approximate parity, with a slight surplus in our favour, between the number of seats we hold on committees and the number of seats we hold in the Assembly. The Australian Labor Party holds 47 per cent of the seats in the Assembly and 47 per cent of seats on committees. If they came forward with a proposal to put more ALP members on committees, we would not be able to argue with that. The Independents hold, between the two of them, 11 per cent of the seats - - -
Ms Follett: There are three of them.
MR HUMPHRIES: No, Mr Stevenson is not getting any benefit from this, Chief Minister. He is not part of the gravy train of more committee seats. It is just Mr Moore and Ms Szuty, with respect. For their part, they hold only 11 per cent of the seats in the Assembly and they have now 21 per cent of the seats on committees - almost double their entitlement on the basis of standing order 221.
Mr Moore: No; you are missing the word "practicable".
MR HUMPHRIES: There is nothing practicable about having double representation. If we are looking at as nearly as practicable fair representation, Mr Moore - through you, Madam Speaker - you would be on at least one less committee and so would Ms Szuty. That would be a fair balance. But, rather than taking yourselves off committees, you are putting yourselves on more. You might think you have the right to sit on every committee of the Assembly and have your finger in every pie, but that is not what the standing orders say.
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