Page 2978 - Week 10 - Thursday, 15 September 1994
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In my view, Madam Speaker, the process had to change; we had either to view the process as a political one or to continue to attempt to see the process as apolitical and constructive with reference to Government management and performance. The terms of this motion take the latter course. This does not mean, however, that members of the Assembly will be precluded from participating in the public hearing process and unable to question Ministers and witnesses. In fact, the standing orders of this Assembly provide for this. The relevant standing orders are standing orders 234 and 235. Standing order 234 concerns itself with the admission of other members and states:
Members of the Assembly may be present when a committee is examining witnesses, but shall withdraw if requested by the Presiding Member or any member of the committee, and shall always withdraw when the committee is deliberating.
Standing order 235 is about other members' right to question witnesses and states:
When a committee is examining witnesses, Members of the Assembly not being members of the committee may, by leave of the committee, question witnesses.
The process does not mean, however, that all non-Executive members of the Assembly, as has been the case in the past, will be compiling the committee's report.
Madam Speaker, I also want to comment on the committee's reporting date, as mentioned by the Chief Minister. While the Assembly is expecting agency annual reports to be tabled in the Assembly by 20 September, I believe that it is not possible to conduct public hearings for the estimates process before mid-October. This is because members who are likely to be nominated to the committee will simply not be available to participate in hearings before then. Members of the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Committee will be involved in extensive public hearings on the planning legislation in the week following the September sittings. The week after that precedes the October sitting week, and even then some members will be in the Northern Territory, attending a conference on parliaments and the judicial system. The committee, therefore, will have approximately four weeks to finalise the report by 25 November. ACT Treasury will still have the opportunity to prepare a Government response before the sittings conclude at the end of the year. In conclusion, Madam Speaker, I support the motion as proposed by the Chief Minister and look forward to participating in the process.
MR DE DOMENICO (11.20): Madam Speaker, I rise to attempt to show Ms Szuty that after 2½ years of being in this place she obviously still has not realised that this is part of a political process. As hard as it may appear for that to be, Ms Szuty, this is what we are here for; this is a political process. Of course estimates are going to be political; of course everything we do is going to be political. If that has not gone through your head so far, make sure that it does; because that is what we are here for.
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