Page 95 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 28 February 2007
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and there being a 40-60 per cent chance that a state of emergency would have to be declared.
Who is the only person in the government who can declare a state of emergency? The Chief Minister. Where was he? No-one knows. Could he take a phone call? No, he could not. Did he miss phone calls? Yes, he did. Did he have phone conversations? Yes, he also did. Can he remember what they were about? No, he can’t. So, Jon Stanhope, what was going through your head when you goofed off on the Friday night and left the ESA and all of the departments to their own devices?
I can assure you, Mr Deputy Speaker, that in my time as a minister no department or official would have started locking down the assets, ordering extra telegraph poles, setting up emergency evacuation centres and preparing for a disaster without having told their minister. The truth is that the cabinet knew, the government knew, Jon Stanhope knew—and he did not have the wherewithal to do anything about it because he thought it was coming on Monday; that it was a Monday fire and that was next week’s problem. This is the problem.
What is the government’s additional offence? They attacked the coroner. It is interesting that Ms Gallagher said throughout her speech that the coroner’s report is littered with inconsistencies. She said, “We stood by our public servants; we were loyal to them.” But they are all gone, Ms Gallagher; you got rid of the lot. The head of the Chief Minister’s Department, the head of emergency services, the head of the bureau, the head of JACS, the head of the police—all of them loyal public servants—are gone, gone, gone, gone.
Mrs Dunne: They are all gone. Where are they? Where have they gone?
Members interjecting—
MR SMYTH: The Deputy Chief Minister said the Chief Minister called the cabinet meeting.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Members of the opposition, members of the government, let the member speak, and please direct comments through me.
MR SMYTH: Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. Ms Gallagher then went on to say that the meeting was called at the initiative of the Chief Minister. But it was not; he was prodded by Mr Tim Keady. He did not even have the wherewithal to call the meeting. So the opposition are telling the truth here. The government are making the fabrications.
Then we had the performance from Mr Corbell. I have a great deal of respect for Mr Corbell on this issue because, unlike with the Chief Minister, I know where Simon Corbell was on the night before—and I know where he was on the day—because, on the night before, his unit was with my unit at Tidbinbilla putting out the fires. I have a great deal of respect for him because he can stand in this place and truthfully say where he was. After all of the questions that we have put to our Chief Minister, the Chief Minister of the ACT, he will not tell people where he was on that
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