Page 1045 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 2 May 2006
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MRS BURKE: What about the briefings I have asked for?
MR STANHOPE: In her question, Mrs Burke asked about the nature of briefings provided by Mr Costello. I was pleased that he was able and willing—as was Mr Greg Smith, his partner in the commissioning of the review—to provide broad background briefings to business and the community around the issues facing the government and specifically issues facing the territory in the context of the structures of government and the capacity for the territory, through its governmental structures and governmental arrangements, to meet the continuing expectations and priorities of this community.
It was time, after seven years of self-government, for a review such as that which I commissioned to be undertaken by two eminently expert and experienced reviewers in Michael Costello and Greg Smith. As I indicated earlier, it is a review and there are issues which cabinet is currently considering in this process. I am the first to concede that minority government has not assisted in this process and that previous governments suffered from that but it is a process that is nevertheless overdue.
MR SPEAKER: The minister’s time has expired.
MRS BURKE: I have a supplementary question, Mr Speaker. Chief Minister, I may be therefore heartened by your answer perhaps that you may not be making cuts to the community sector. However, why have you not agreed for Mr Costello to provide briefings, like he did to selected business leaders and representatives of trade unions, to representatives of peak community organisations?
MR STANHOPE: It is a fair question, Mrs Burke, and, to the extent that, of course, this is a piece of string to which there is potentially no end, the government has made a decision. As far as I am concerned, I do not intend to call on Mr Costello or Mr Smith to provide any further briefings. They have given detailed background briefings, in terms of context and issues, to business and they have similarly provided briefings to unions. We could go on forever briefing different segments and sectors of the community about a whole range of issues. The government, of course, is open and consultative in the context of the budget. We are talking—I meet regularly; I have over this last week—with a range of organisations across the community. I am satisfied with the consultation and the process in relation to the issues around the release of the document. It is a cabinet document; it was commissioned for cabinet. There are very good reasons why it should not be released.
In that context, of course, I do find it interesting to contemplate the response that Peter Costello would have given to a question from the opposition today of the order that has just been asked. Just imagine a member of the Labor Party in the House of Representatives standing up today and asking Peter Costello: “Treasurer, I understand, in the context of the budget that you have just put together and that you are about to deliver, that you received advice from a range of specialist consultants and internal advisers. Give us a look, will you, Pete? Hey, Pete, can you give us the breakdown of the advice that you took on the possibility of restructuring the tax system? Look, let’s be open and transparent, will you, Pete; just give us all the documents that have been provided to you in the context of this year’s federal budget—just slip them across.” I wonder what
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