Page 590 - Week 02 - Thursday, 6 March 2008

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It is especially interesting that Mr Smyth has amendments. He was there during the last few meetings of the committee when we sat down and went through it, I thought, word by word. It is unfortunate if the Liberals’ perspective was not purveyed into the process, and I understand that that would have been quite difficult.

Mr Smyth: That’s not true.

Mrs Burke: You had better withdraw that.

DR FOSKEY: I want to say this without actually judging the amendments; I am not dismissing the fact that some of them could be really important, including the one that lists the number of committees that we have—to be put in the standing orders. That is probably a good one, though I know it is not going to get through, Vicki, given the numbers in this house. Some of these really do deserve scrutiny. Again, it is really up to the next Assembly. The Clerk must be groaning as I say this, because I am quite sure that every Assembly has felt that it has to give attention to the standing orders.

All I can say is that what we have got now is better than what we had before. If I was doing what the others were doing, I would probably move an amendment to have something in the standing orders that allows a member to stand up and say, “I have been misrepresented” or “Those are not the facts.” I have come across that frustration; I do not think that the standing orders cover it. Maybe the concern is that a member would be standing up all the time, because there are frequent misrepresentations and frequently incorrect facts are cited in this place. But I will leave that. I am now four years into the process. I am probably a better judge of the standing orders than I was when I arrived. I will leave it there.

MRS DUNNE (Ginninderra) (11.24): I move:

Add the following words: “and the following new standing orders be adopted:

Chapter 20

Committees

(1) Add new standing order after standing order 215:

215A The Assembly shall, as a minimum, establish standing committees on:

(a) Scrutiny of Bills and Subordinate Legislation;

(b) Public Accounts; and

(2) Amendment to standing order 217: After ‘select committees’, insert ‘And the Assembly must establish a select committee on estimates to enquire into the annual budget.”.

(3) Amendment to standing order 225: Add ‘In the case of the Standing Committee on Scrutiny of Bills and Subordinate Legislation, the Standing

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