Page 1766 - Week 06 - Thursday, 19 May 1994
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Legal Affairs Committee
MRS GRASSBY: Madam Speaker, my question is addressed to the chair of the Legal Affairs Committee, Mr Humphries. Mr Humphries, according to my records, since 1 July 1992 the Social Policy Committee has met 38 times and the Public Accounts Committee has met 56 times, and both have produced many reports. In this time the Legal Affairs Committee has met only 16 times and this year has met only three times. When will the committee meet to finalise its report on the Coroners (Amendment) Bill so that the Government can implement the legislation recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and get on with its important legislation program?
MR HUMPHRIES: Madam Speaker, I welcome the opportunity to answer a question. I have just been reading the Hansard for 1991, so I will be able to relive some of the glory days.
Mr Connolly: "Now that I am in opposition, I can be honest", you once said.
MR HUMPHRIES: You must not interject when would-be Ministers are answering questions, Mr Connolly. It is very rude. You will get succinct answers from us. That is the difference between you and us.
Madam Speaker, the Legal Affairs Committee, of course, has the present difficulty that it has no secretary. Members will recall that Mr Ron Owens, the erstwhile secretary of our committee, has resigned.
Mr Lamont: Blame it on the secretary.
MR HUMPHRIES: Madam Speaker, Mr Lamont will get the chance to answer a question in a moment. I have the floor for the moment.
Mr Wood: Mr Owens left one month ago.
MR HUMPHRIES: I know that you enjoyed my being Minister when I was a Minister and you love to be able to ask me questions, but you have to make the most of this experience while it lasts.
I regret as much as anybody else the fact that we do not have a secretary at the moment. I certainly intend to find out why we do not have a secretary and when we are going to get a secretary. However, the Legal Affairs Committee has been doing considerable work in the period since Mrs Grassby or one of her colleagues raised this matter on the last occasion. There have been meetings of that committee. It has done important work and released a number of reports. If Mrs Grassby feels that enough time has not been spent on legal affairs matters, I suggest that she come to me and propose to me that we have a further meeting. As she well knows, in the absence of a secretary that is not particularly
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