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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 12 Hansard (18 November) . . Page.. 4190 ..

MS MacDONALD (continuing):

us and depends on our style of debating. Mrs Burke and others in this place have also said that the minister should resign because he has held this place in contempt, because he has failed to apologise or because he has only apologised after being dragged kicking and screaming to this place.

I want to put on the record at this point that, when Mr Corbell rose at the beginning of this debate, I had a lot of admiration for the humility that he showed to this place. The report shows-if the Assembly would go to paragraphs 3.35 and 3.36-that Mr Corbell indicated that he had made an error of judgment and that he was wrong. It also shows that he apologised and he also recognised that he should have provided the information. It also acknowledges further down, in paragraph 3.38, that he did not later receive a request for that data, nor was he recalled to the committee to discuss the information.

It was an error of judgment on the part of the minister not to provide that information at the time, and he has certainly admitted to that. However, not taking this issue further was also an error on the part of the committee at the time. I was a member of that Estimates Committee and I can say that it did not recall the minister to actually discuss this issue. For members on the other side of this place to comment that nobody from the government's side on the Estimate Committee opposed the minister being called for contempt, because we did not put in a dissenting report, is erroneous.

I want to say, in conclusion, that I believe that, as Ms Dundas has already said, there are levels of punishment. To ask the minister-

Opposition members interjecting-

MR SPEAKER: Order members! Ms MacDonald has the floor.

MS MacDONALD: -to resign over this issue would be like giving the perpetrator of a $50 crime a sentence of imprisonment. I think that is erroneous and it would be wrong for this place to seek that of the minister.

MRS CROSS: Mr Speaker, I seek leave to speak again.

MRS CROSS (12.26): I want to make a comment. I understand that Ms MacDonald is obliged to defend and support members of her own side and that is admirable in itself. However, I must correct her: the committee, in its role of discharging its responsibilities, carrying out its duties and questioning people that come before it, did not make an error. The committee asked straightforward questions of the minister. We ask questions of many ministers and only two showed a lack of willingness to be forthright in their way of responding. I do not agree with the motion of lack of confidence, but I do believe that we have serious concerns, which is why I proposed this amendment.

If Ms MacDonald wants to suggest that the committee was wrong in discharging its duties then I suggest she looks up the terms of reference of any Estimates Committee. She should understand that this committee, and any committee, has a responsibility to ask questions of the people before it. That is not an error. Thank you.

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