Page 1646 - Week 06 - Thursday, 20 May 1993
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MR KAINE: The Chief Minister acknowledges that it does not exist. For the Assembly to pass a motion that deals with a document that does not exist, and we do not know when it is likely to, seems to me to be rather odd. The Assembly will be convening again in the middle of June, by which time the Chief Minister will have a new capital works program, or I hope that she will. It might be more appropriate for the Assembly to consider this motion when it has the document to which the motion refers and we know what we are talking about.
Quite clearly, the Government is in deep trouble with its budget this year when it cannot even produce its new capital works program by the end of May. The Government recognises that it has to go to the Planning Committee for consideration, but it cannot produce the document. It seems typical of this Government that it is in total confusion. The Chief Minister has already acknowledged that they really have no budget strategy. They talk about their community consultation on the budget, but at this stage they clearly do not know what they intend to do about the budget. They are not only in confusion; they are in a state of panic as well. I find it rather strange that we are being asked to pass a motion in connection with a budget document that does not exist, and the Chief Minister cannot tell us when it will exist. I think the Assembly ought to consider whether it is prepared to deal with this motion today or not.
MR MOORE (10.54): Madam Speaker, it seems to me that the Standing Committee on Planning, Development and Infrastructure has the ability to take on anything it wants when it wants. Even if we were not to pass this motion today, when the document is produced - and it seems to me that it does not actually have to be tabled in the Assembly first - the Standing Committee on Planning, Development and Infrastructure could take that on. This is actually a more open way of taking care of this issue.
Mr Kaine: Then why do we need the motion?
MR MOORE: Because it is a more open way of dealing with it.
MS FOLLETT (Chief Minister and Treasurer) (10.55), in reply: Madam Speaker, I regret to say that Mr Kaine's memory is failing him. If he refers back to the Hansard record of 31 May 1990, he will see that under the Alliance Government exactly the same procedure was followed. Mr Duby moved a motion of remarkable similarity to the one I am putting forward this morning, and it was put and passed, the record shows. I moved the motion, first and foremost, as a courtesy, to allow the members of the committee to know that this particular workload is coming forward; and, secondly, for the record, as occurred under the Alliance Government, because it is a standard practice for the capital works program to be referred to this committee and for them to report.
Because of our particular sitting pattern, it seems likely to me that I may well have the capital works program ready before the Assembly next sits, or at some time when the Assembly is not sitting. It appears only practical and courteous to let those members know that the task is coming forward. It is also the case that that committee has considerably less work before it than it did previously; nevertheless, it has to order its workload and ought to be aware that this task, as is usual, will be coming before it. As other members have commented, I do not
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