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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 06 Hansard (Thursday, 24 June 2004) . . Page.. 2729 ..

on notice that the minister is not living up to the requirements of the ministerial code of conduct, which states:

All ministers are to recognise the importance of full and true disclosures and accountability to the parliament.

Let us not say we did not know or that we did not hear. Questions were asked, MPIs were had, questions were put on notice, questions were asked in estimates and adjournment speeches were made. That is the full gamut of what anyone can do to bring this to the attention of the minister, and it was all done.

Let us look at the three areas that we have discussed in more detail than some. There are others, but let us look at the three answers. Let us look first at the question of Hansard. The Hansard issue I think comes up as the feeblest of the excuses presented by the minister tonight. The policy document that was launched, in which this transcript of a conversation or interview is apparently included, clearly sets it out in several places, and I am happy to quote it for the interests of members. On the front page it says, “include a forensic unit as part of the ACT prison project”. Going to page 2, it says that an eight-bed forensic facility as part of the future ACT prison would provide appropriate care for the mentally ill. The inclusion of a forensic unit as part of the ACT prison project is in the press release.

Let us have no doubt. I never said in this place that we would build a forensic unit as part of the hospital. It cannot be found in Hansard because it was not said in this place. The minister has come in here tonight and said, “It came across in a bundle of Liberal Party documents.” That is the best excuse I have ever heard to cover a politician’s backside on how they got something. If it is in the middle of a pile of documents, then it must belong to that pile of documents. The pile of documents as presented contained the draft policy without the pictures—it is a text document, by the look of it. At the back is the document as released with the photos that were included in the middle of this. The excuse seems to be, “I mistook it for Hansard.”

The minister has tabled this this evening and I would ask members to look at it. It does not look like Hansard; it does not read like Hansard; it does not have “draft Hansard” or “final Hansard” on it; it does not have the notations of Hansard on it; and it has my name, to start with—“Brendan”. I defy any of you to go through any of the volumes of Hansard and see a minister, a member or the speaker addressed by their first name. It has never happened before; and it will never happen again because it does not happen. The excuse tonight is that it came across in a pile of documents when the Liberal Party released their mental health policy in late March. Let us see what the minister said in Hansard. He said that the Liberal Party policy would establish a time-out facility and make sure there is a forensic unit as part of the hospital. It continues:

That is what he said only a couple of months ago, yet yesterday he came out and said that it is going to be at the prison.

I will read it again. It says:

That is what he said only a couple of months ago, yet yesterday he came out and said that it is going to be at the prison.

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