Page 907 - Week 04 - Thursday, 3 May 2007
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This is disgraceful behaviour. For all the bleatings from Mr Barr, the single fact that Mr Stanhope decided to destroy the conventions that applied in previous Assemblies speaks volumes of this government’s attitude about dumbing down this process. Dr Foskey is absolutely right: this community depends on this process to ensure that we hold the government accountable during a particularly important phase of the Assembly cycle, and we are not getting it. We simply are not getting it.
Let me give an example, the in camera issue that we tried to get moving last year. Mr Smyth and I had a serious issue that we wanted to hold you, Mr Barr, accountable for. It involved a particular school. We will not talk about that issue in detail now; it is simply not appropriate at this time. But it is appropriate to talk about the principle. A very serious issue was raised. We attempted to have that matter dealt with in camera. That estimates committee was an entirely appropriate place in which to address an urgent, real-life issue of some danger to teachers and students alike.
That matter should have been dealt with. The committee process was the way to deal with that. But you back-flipped and your government colleagues on that committee went out of their way to ensure that the scrutiny process—that accountability process—would be blown out the back door. Mr Barr, I bet we still have those issues unresolved to this day. Those issues are unresolved to this day because this Assembly did not have the guts to analyse and scrutinise them. That committee was absolutely collapsed in relation to that.
Let me talk about the disgraceful behaviour of ministers who refuse to answer the questions asked by members of the opposition. It was such a poor display—
Members interjecting—
MR SPEAKER: Order! There are too many conversations going on in the room.
MR PRATT: It was such a poor display—
Mr Barr: And what they did was disgraceful. It was disgraceful, Jacqui.
MR SPEAKER: Order! Mr Barr, Mr Pratt has the floor.
MR PRATT: It was a poor display; I have not seen anything like it in the five years that I have been in this place. While Mr Gentleman did not believe that Mr Hargreaves behaved badly during the hearings, evidence in the transcripts contradicted his misguided view. Do we need to talk about the “dickhead” comment, Mr Gentleman—the comment made by Mr Hargreaves? This was erudite academic management on the part of Mr Hargreaves as he opened himself up to accountability. What a wonderful performance! The minister’s inappropriate comments about members of the community are legendary. His responses to scrutinising questions by a number of members of the committee and opposition are legendary.
You need to do something about it. If you want to ensure that this year’s committee process is going to be open and accountable and we are all going to get down and drill to the points that need to be analysed, you need to take your colleague Mr Hargreaves
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