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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 04 Hansard (Thursday, 1 April 2004) . . Page.. 1496 ..

to the wind in that time. This contempt report brings to a head that conflict of interest that we all have as ministers, committee chairs, committee members and members representing our constituents in that we all do several jobs that sometimes conflict.

An interesting point has been raised here. Later today we will establish an estimates committee and the question for members will be: if we establish an estimates committee and certain members are charged with conducting an inquiry into something on behalf of the Assembly, that is, the budget, does that mean that those members for the period of the estimates committee are not allowed to comment on the budget?

There is a crossover here that we need to be very careful about because we may inadvertently nobble members in their ability to do their job. We are, first and foremost, elected to this place to represent our constituents. We then need form the government or the opposition, or we end up on the crossbench. We have different roles in each of those positions.

My concern today is that, by not following what the committee has recommended, we may be setting a precedent in that those members that this afternoon will take on the role of being members of the estimates committee may be nobbled for a period of some 10 or 12 weeks from saying anything about the budget because they may be in contempt of the charge that we, as Assembly members, give them.

We are debating very serious issues today and the recommendation about training is particularly important, otherwise we may, effectively, take approximately a third of the Assembly out of operation for up to two weeks every sitting year. It would affect the government the worst, because the government would have two members. In this case, I assume that they would be Mr Hargreaves and Ms MacDonald.

They may be halted in their abilities to sell their government’s budget in their electorate because they are charged with another duty by the Assembly, so the second recommendation is the important recommendation. We must understand what roles members must play and the distinction between those roles. I think that we as an Assembly need to be cognisant of that.

We will be voting against the censure motion. We do not believe that it is appropriate. We accept and abide by what the committee report has said. I put that to the members of the Assembly. I hope that they have listened to what I have said.

MS DUNDAS (12.18): Mr Speaker, I seek leave to move the amendment circulated in my name.

Leave granted.

MS DUNDAS: I move:

Omit all words after “That”, substitute “this Assembly expresses grave concern about the actions of Mrs Dunne in relation to the distribution of a flyer at the Belconnen Markets.”.

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