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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 6 Hansard (13 June) . . Page.. 1593 ..

MRS BURKE (continuing):

Mr Speaker, my first Estimates Committee demonstrated to me nothing more than a blatant attempt by some committee members to deride and discredit the government at every opportunity. I was ashamed to have been a member of this committee. I was furthermore disappointed that, having tried to have input up until the 11th hour, I was clearly unable to present my extensive comments contained in my dissenting report. The churlish innuendoes and snide remarks flying back and forth across the hearings room did little to enhance the credibility of politicians, which in turn did little for the scrutiny and accountability process of public servants.

Let us look at the public service for a moment. We in Canberra should be very proud that we have one of the best public services in Australia. Our public servants are, by majority, a very committed, hard-working group of professionals who certainly deserve more than the often discourteous treatment they receive from some committee members. Who said that common manners and decency should not apply in politics? Would those members responsible for this unedifying spectacle behave like that anywhere else? What were they trying to prove? How can we expect to make legislation to change anything, Mr Speaker, if first we do not determine to change our own attitudes and behaviours? Which brings me to ask this question: is it hardly surprising that this type of behaviour gives rise to a feeling within the Canberra community that a parliament and all of its trappings are not appropriate for the ACT and that maybe we should revert to a more council-style operation?

It is now very obvious to me that many members in this Assembly have become entrenched in pushing their narrow political agendas. Worse still, I must make the obvious observation that they have lost touch with the real world. They are not putting the people of Canberra first.

Mr Speaker, I found the majority of time spent on this committee farcical and a complete and utter waste of precious time-not only my time, but everyone else's. I object most strongly and register my total dissatisfaction. Some opposition members strolled into the hearings, vented their spleen under parliamentary privilege and then returned to the safe confines of their offices to thrash out the next negative, unconstructive media release. Indeed, it became very obvious and clear to me later that in some cases they have media releases at the ready before their brief appearance at estimates. Those statements, of course, were never changed by new information provided by officials or explanations of the facts. What a farce!

Those who attended the hearings with ulterior motives and set agendas should hang their heads in shame at their lack of control and general embarrassing behaviour. The community at large has simply had enough of the crass and childish, self-interested behaviour of politicians who are only concerned about the next election. Politicians-all of us-should be on notice to lift our act or face a new generation of informed voters who will not suffer this type of behaviour. How, in heaven's name, will we ever attract new and good people into the world of politics with this type of unseemly behaviour?

Of course, I expect that those who perpetrated this highly inappropriate behaviour will deny it and that many will jump to their own defence, claiming that I am naive and simplistic and do not understand how it all works. Well, if this is how it all works, I refuse to comply by compromising my integrity. Maybe, in the past, new members to

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