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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 8 Hansard (31 August) . . Page.. 2801 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

papers relating to indemnities the government has given to cover the activities of some agency or other of the government at shopping centres, local schools or whatever out in the community?

Mr Kaine: I have got enough paper already, Mr Attorney.

MR HUMPHRIES: I am sure members have enough paper already, and indemnities would add to that.

Mr Speaker, I am perfectly happy to give an undertaking to supply, on an annual basis, a list of indemnities to members. Perhaps, this list could contain indemnities above a certain level. Members might like to think about what would be an appropriate threshold. I do not think it would be necessary to include indemnities of several hundred dollars. I would be happy to table an annual summary of indemnities above a certain level. But it would be, I suggest, extremely unhelpful to members in this place to be tabling, as we see being done every day, another wad of indemnities provided by the Insurance Authority.

MR QUINLAN (6.25): I would be very happy to review a proposal put forward by the Treasurer to rationalise the amount of material-including the material that will be required if my amendment is accepted-that is presented in this place from time to time. I recognised fairly early in the piece when I came to this place that it is the role of government to keep oppositions and non-government members busy by giving them wads of paper to look at, and that is still happening.

I do not think we can say that we will stop making a lot of paper available. What we need to do is say that if too much paper is coming into the place and if the cost is becoming prohibitive, there should be some rational and sensible process of examining the paper flow and the type of paper that comes through the place.

Ms Carnell's trip to Brunei is an example of too much paper coming through this place. So you do not have to look beyond what has happened today to appreciate how much paper flows through this place. While I am on my feet, Mr Speaker, I would like to make an apology. I made some derogatory comments about Ms Carnell's trip to Brunei and I now would like to formally apologise to the poor person who had to put the paper together to rationalise that trip. Perhaps my criticisms had something to do with the need for that rationalisation.

If we are to rationalise the paper flow in this place, let us not do that on a piecemeal basis. Let is take a good look at what comes in, what government puts forward and what is required to be put forward. I believe that if we are making commitments in respect of indemnity that could expose the government and the people, the taxpayers of the ACT, to considerable liability at some given time, then we should be advised.

I would be very happy at a later date, given the argument that the Treasurer has put forward, to entertain a further amendment to this legislation to place some value on the level of indemnity. But at this point I stand by the amendment that has been moved.

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