Page 574 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 12 April 1994
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
In other words, you are not even allowed to tell us anything about the processes of government.
Mr Berry: Of Cabinet.
MR KAINE: That is not what this advice says. The advice says "information relating to the workings of the Government and Cabinet process". You were advised not to release this page for those reasons. In other words, the Assembly is not even entitled to know anything about the workings of the Government. And you, Minister, bought that. You bought that, and you refused to release information on that basis. Since when is it inappropriate to release a document that discloses the deliberative process of the Territory - not the Cabinet; the deliberative processes of the Territory? Under that ruling you are never going to release anything under FOI. You bought that, Minister, and it is part of this business of refusing or omitting to tell members of the Assembly and the community what you are doing. The same advice from the same officer said:
The document contains two paragraphs detailing the deliberative process of the Territory and Cabinet and as such it would be inappropriate for it to be released.
Minister, if you really believe that you cannot release a document because it has details about the deliberative processes of the Territory - twice there repeated - what on earth are you going to release? This is the attitude. It is not only in connection with VITAB, not only in connection with this shady deal that you got yourself into. The whole attitude of the Government is, "We are not going to tell you anything. If we can deceive you, we will". Obviously quite deliberately, Minister, over a period of time you have deceived the members of this Assembly by your answers, your failure to answer, your distortion of the information that you were prepared to make available and in many cases your decision that you simply would not answer the question. Hansard is full of it. It goes on month after month.
To me, one of the most worrying things about this is really your approach to this subject. Because there was a great deal of community concern about the matter and because you refused to do so, the Opposition undertook a study of what on earth did happen, how it happened and why it happened. Every time we put a bit of information on the table, asked you to comment on it and asked you for your view, you avoided the question, until finally the Chief Minister was forced into convening an inquiry. But is that the way you intend to do all your business as a Minister in this Government? If that is the way you intend to do your business, I do not believe that your other ministerial colleagues would agree with you. If they do, they should all go, because that is inappropriate. You and your Chief Minister in particular have constantly talked about open government, from the very first day of self-government. You have talked about open and consultative government, to the point where it has become nauseous. This is your approach to open and consultative government: "Do not tell them anything. If you must tell them something, do not tell them the truth and, if you can obscure and hide information, do so". That is what this issue is all about.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .