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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 1 Hansard (14 February) . . Page.. 138 ..

MR MOORE (continuing):

He gives an example. The circular continues:

Does extending the Agreement by another year limit the capacity of nursing staff to take protected industrial action in relation to occupational health and safety issues?

There are appropriate forums now for addressing these types of issues...

Will suggested changes to rostering arrangements be imposed on staff?

The variation makes it clear that the hospital remains committed to normal rostering patterns...

Will our ability to attract nursing staff be affected by the wages offer?

We are already competing for nursing staff in a very competitive marketplace. Calvary nurses have now voted to accept the Government's offer. It is important that we remain competitive to attract and retain nursing staff.

Then he comments on the RN level 2 nurses and reassures them about grandfathering. Mr Speaker, I think that circular does help Mr Stanhope, which is why I have just tabled a copy of it.

Suspension of standing and temporary orders

MR QUINLAN

(3.44): Mr Speaker, I move:

That so much of the standing and temporary orders be suspended as would prevent Mr Quinlan from moving a motion concerning the Budget announcement made by the Treasurer to the media.

Mr Speaker, within the first few weeks of coming to this place, I was given a confidential briefing by the then Chief Minister on the TAB, and Mr Corbell and I were given some documents. Clearly, those documents were confidential. I next saw those documents about an hour later in the hands of the media. There was a debate in this place and, in fact, it took some time to get the Chief Minister to table the actual documents that she gave out.

Things have not changed much in the time that I have been here. Maybe I have become a little more cynical or less naive. Today, as I understand it, the Treasurer conducted a press conference and issued a series of press releases as to all of the government's initiatives in the draft budget. I have a copy of those press releases now, because my staff went and asked for them.

Mr Speaker, I think that you should be taking great interest in the way we are doing things around here these days. The Chief Minister and Treasurer of this territory has virtually revealed the full detail of the draft budget to the media and other stakeholders-I was talking to the president of the teachers union, who also happened to have a series of press releases-and I question the standards now being set that permit the Chief Minister and Treasurer to treat parties outside the Assembly-

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