Page 1587 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 19 May 1993
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MRS CARNELL (Leader of the Opposition) (11.44): This motion that we have debated over quite a number of months is a very simple motion. It is not as difficult as many people have said.
Ms Follett: Yes, we are perfectly clear on it.
MRS CARNELL: Great, fantastic! It is a simple motion. All it requires is that Ministers answer questions within 30 days unless they have a reasonable excuse not to do so. That mirrors the operation that takes place in the Senate, something that has worked efficiently since September 1988. It is not an abnormal approach. It is not something that has not worked very well in a substantially bigger place than here.
Mr Berry: Are they the exact words?
MRS CARNELL: They are very similar.
Mr Lamont: Very similar. Are they the same?
MRS CARNELL: No, they are not.
Mr Lamont: They are not the same, are they? These are not the same as the ones that operate in the Senate?
MRS CARNELL: No, not exactly. It is the same intent.
Mr Lamont: No, it is not.
MRS CARNELL: Why did you not - - -
Mr Lamont: The same intent or content?
MRS CARNELL: Intent.
Mr Lamont: We think, possibly, maybe.
Mr De Domenico: Who has the floor?
Mr Lamont: I do apologise, Mr De Domenico.
MRS CARNELL: It is all right. We are right. Some Ministers, I agree, are very good at answering questions; but there really are some Ministers that are absolutely terrible, and this motion is aimed at bringing those Ministers into line and providing some consistency. That is about good government. That is about an effective system for this Assembly to operate under and an efficient approach to scrutiny of the Government. Thirty days should be plenty of time for a department to answer any normal question. As I said, it works for 78 senators; why would it not work for 17 in this house?
The Minister for Health earlier made comments about people being reasonable in their approach. He made the comment that he did not believe that we on this side of the house would be reasonable about a need for longer than 30 days. I bring to his attention a number of questions that I have put on the notice paper and that in the end have not been answered at all. They have not been answered for, I think, good reasons. I have accepted that. I asked at one stage for some
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