Page 3796 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 8 November 1994
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impressed by some of the proceedings in this chamber. If they have been to the Federal Parliament and watched a near empty house with an individual member speaking, they can see that this Assembly provides a more colourful and more interesting set of procedures. I think there is another important public interest issue, Madam Speaker, and that is that it would prevent unpopular legislation going through unnoticed by the public. One of the roles of the Opposition and one of the roles of the crossbenchers is to raise unpopular measures that the Government proposes. Those are issues that we tend to raise. Similarly, the Government would raise something that any other member tried to proceed with. So, there is the issue of increased accountability, and that, I think, does assist.
Madam Speaker, there is sometimes a perception in the community that somehow or other we get together and make a cosy deal; we slip through a piece of legislation. One case in point that I can remember is the superannuation for members. Those of us who were involved with that issue know quite well that the superannuation for members is no greater than it would be had they been public servants. Nevertheless, there is a perception in the public arena that that may have been the case. I have seen a number of articles to that effect appear in the media. Having public broadcasting of proceedings would allow for those sorts of debates to be fairly open.
I think it would also allow for improved news reporting. It would allow both television and radio news to report what people actually say, instead of relying, as they do at the moment, on interviewing people after something has been said, or often before something has been said, and then balancing that against what somebody else is saying and, on occasions, taking those remarks out of context. Another thing that we see, Madam Speaker, is the trivial sound bite, or grab, as it is sometimes called, in a news snippet. What we would get is what we get from the New South Wales Parliament when they are broadcasting. When issues are raised the members who have raised them are quoted from the floor of the house.
Madam Speaker, I am aware, of course, that you made a statement on this issue when this building was opened. You pointed out publicly that the facilities were in this building to permit the broadcasting of proceedings. At that time, Madam Speaker, I probably misinterpreted what you were saying - I probably should have known better from my presence on the Administration and Procedures Committee - and I stopped the drafting of my Bill for the broadcasting of proceedings. It seems to me that that was probably a mistake; but, like all of us, I have a set of priorities. It was not one of my highest priorities at that time. I feel that I probably let this matter go on for too long. I do have a draft Bill, but it has not been through Parliamentary Counsel. On an issue like this, when I look at the guidelines from the Federal Parliament and other places, I think it is important that we get it right. I would hope that it will be something that is done very early in the life of the next Assembly.
One of the other issues that I mentioned that I would address, Madam Speaker, is improving the standards of MLAs. Although, no doubt, all members recognise your ability to control the house, I think it would encourage better behaviour in the Assembly if we knew that what we are doing is always being recorded; that somebody can always rewind a videotape and get a copy of what was said or what was done and how a person reacted. I think consciousness of that being the case, Madam Speaker, may well add to
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