Page 1705 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 18 May 1994
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Mr Moore: Says you, with $207,000 worth of staff allocation.
Mr Humphries: She is the alternative Chief Minister. She has some entitlements in that respect.
Mr Berry: Why do you not share it with the others?
MRS CARNELL: I have never asked for it. On the basis that we have all, hopefully, accepted that this change in the standing order does not go in any way to justify any extra staff allocation for Mr Berry, if the basis of this is only to improve the workings of the Assembly, then again you come back to the question: Why now, Chief Minister? Mr Humphries's amendment to this standing order, I believe, will go a long way to improving the workings of this Assembly. Everybody in this house has every right to table papers whenever they feel that they have something worth while to put forward, and I think that is very appropriate.
Mr Lamont: We have the $6m man down here and the $200,000 woman over here. Share the staff.
MRS CARNELL: Mr Lamont, it is fine to make a comment on staff allocations. I admit that my staff allocation is quite okay; it does the job.
Mr Lamont: Share it with the rest of your party. When you do that and divide it up, your members are getting more than Mr Berry. What are you going on about?
Mr Humphries: You share your money. You are getting more than anybody else.
MRS CARNELL: What we are talking about is the inequity for people like Ms Ellis and Mrs Grassby and - - -
MADAM SPEAKER: Order! Could both sides of the house come to order. Mrs Carnell is attempting to speak.
MRS CARNELL: May I say that I totally support Mr Humphries's amendment. To come back to the motion, in essence the Opposition has no problems with changes to the standing order being put forward. Our concern is the timing and the reasons for this now.
MS FOLLETT (Chief Minister and Treasurer) (5.18): I would like to respond to Mrs Carnell in the simplest terms possible, and I am speaking to the amendment. To answer Mrs Carnell about whether this motion will improve the operation of the Assembly, the short answer is yes, and the long answer is yes as well. This motion does away with the necessity for Mr Berry, as Manager of Government Business, to seek leave the of the Assembly every time he needs to operate in the Assembly as Manager of Government Business, in tabling papers and so on. Mrs Carnell has also asked: Why now; why not two months ago? I would appreciate members listening to this because I am beginning to believe that they are unable to follow a simple argument. It is necessary now because Mr Berry is no longer a Minister. By the vote of this house, he is no longer a Minister, but he is still the Manager of Government Business.
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