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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 3 Hansard (28 May) . . Page.. 744 ..

MS TUCKER (continuing):

We did it in the last Assembly with the Planning and Environment Committee. There was a Greens member and an Independent member on a four-person committee. This is Mr Kaine's proposal for the committee he wants to stay on. I would like to listen to the arguments put by Labor for the other committee and the arguments put by you against that. I urge you not to link those two issues, because there are different arguments.

MR HUMPHRIES (Attorney-General, Minister for Justice and Community Safety and Minister Assisting the Treasurer) (4.04): Mr Speaker, I seek leave to speak again.

Mr Hargreaves: Hang on. There are others waiting.

MR HUMPHRIES: No-one rose when Ms Tucker sat down.

Mr Hargreaves: Mr Rugendyke was on his feet earlier when they competed and he is back on his feet again.

MR HUMPHRIES: No, he is talking to Mr Osborne. He is not on his feet. If I could have leave, I will be only brief.

Leave granted.

MR HUMPHRIES: Ms Tucker has said that there is no link between these two issues; that if we put two crossbenchers on one committee it does not follow that we therefore logically have to put two Labor members on another committee. You can argue that, but other members in this place have put to me that there is an illogicality in putting two members of the crossbenches on one committee and not also putting two members of the Labor Party on another committee. Others have argued that.

Ms Tucker: You do not have to accept that argument.

MR HUMPHRIES: Frankly, I can see some merit in that argument. I do not want people going out of this place today and saying, "The Government supported Mr Kaine going onto the Justice Committee. It was happy to see him on the Justice Committee and to have two members of the crossbenches on the Justice Committee, but it was not happy to see two members of the same grouping on another committee".

Ms Tucker: But different political views from the crossbenches.

MR HUMPHRIES: Ms Tucker says that there are different political views from the crossbenches. Some would say that the Government is happy to have another Canberra Liberal on that committee but not happy to have another member of the Australian Labor Party on another committee. You can see that there is some logic in that, Ms Tucker. It is not just my view; it is the view of other members in this place. They have drawn the link. Indeed, the Labor Party has drawn the link. It has said, "Since you are putting two members of one party on one committee, why can we not have two members of our party on the other committee?".

Ms Tucker: It is not two members of the one party.

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