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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 7 Hansard (2 July) . . Page.. 2118 ..
MR CORBELL (continuing):
Mr Speaker, the only other point I would make is that the dissenting report from the Government does not draw on evidence that was provided, in the main, from the committee's hearings. Mr Hird, I am disappointed to say - and I am sure that Mr Hird will take this in the right spirit - did not, I believe, endeavour to draw out during the committee hearings evidence to justify his very detailed dissent. Members may make of that what they will; but, if you are going to be writing a dissenting report, I believe that it is only appropriate that you make the effort to get the evidence in the hearings to justify your dissent, rather than failing to draw it out during the inquiry and writing a detailed dissent afterwards. Mr Speaker, that is the process that everyone should expect. Unfortunately, I do not believe that it has been addressed on this occasion.
MR HIRD (12.26): Mr Speaker, in following the Chairman of the Estimates Committee, I do not intend to traverse both the report and the Government's reply. I would like to speak briefly to my dissenting report and then I will ask for the leave of the house to have my speech incorporated in Hansard, if I may. I just want to touch briefly on two issues. Firstly, I did go by the evidence. Secondly, I would like to compliment the chairman of the committee this year. He had a very difficult task to perform and he undertook it in a very professional way. Contrary to what others in this chamber may think, Mr Corbell undertook his task seriously. I disagree with his recent remarks. However, notwithstanding that, I think the time has passed with respect to the Estimates Committee because the Government has reported. Having said that, I seek the leave of the house to have my speech incorporated in Hansard.
Leave granted.
The speech read as follows:
Mr Speaker ...
This Estimates Committee has continued the habit of being more a vehicle for political point-scoring than careful analysis of issues.
Just like the way the Opposition jumped in last week with its ill-considered, ill-conceived, fruitless politically motivated bid to discredit the Chief Minister and to unseat this Government. They just weren't prepared to wait for the umpire to come in.
Those measures ... Mr Speaker ... like the Estimates Committee Report ... should be subject to the closest scrutiny by the Parliament.
What ... Mr Speaker ... was the Opposition's motive in bringing this motion of No Confidence forward with such haste?
It is very clear .... Mr Speaker ... that the motivation was political grandstanding in a bid to raise the profile of certain members of the Opposition before the ALP Conference last weekend.
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