Page 1325 - Week 04 - Thursday, 10 April 2008

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independent groups and bodies that you have to look at the whole document and say, “In that regard, then, clearly the budget was based on some false premises.” And we were unable to get that document because the government had concluded that it needed to protect itself and that it needed to protect its budget by stacking the numbers and by stacking the chair.

That is the problem with this. That is not appropriate governance and is not appropriate scrutiny provided to the Assembly. This Assembly has the obligation from the people that elected all of us to scrutinise what the executive of the day does. It is very, very important that we get this right. You can see the effect of the government using its majority to stack the committee, in terms of numbers and taking the chair, in the performance of the last two or three estimates committees, where the standard of answers from ministers has gone down. Certainly in the last two estimates hearings, Mr Hargreaves in particular has been singled out by his actions because the two committee chairs of the day were unable to control him.

Motion (by Mr Corbell) put:

That the Member be no longer be heard.

The Assembly voted—

Ayes 9		Noes 8
Mr Barr	Mr Hargreaves	Mrs Burke	Mr Seselja
Mr Berry	Ms MacDonald	Mrs Dunne	Mr Smyth
Mr Corbell	Ms Porter	Dr Foskey	Mr Stefaniak
Ms Gallagher	Mr Stanhope	Mr Mulcahy
Mr Gentleman		Mr Pratt

Question so resolved in the affirmative.

Motion (by Mr Corbell) proposed:

That the question be now put.

Mr Smyth: You coward.

Mrs Dunne: You are an absolute coward.

MR SPEAKER: Withdraw that. I am not going to have name calling across the chamber, Mrs Dunne.

Mrs Dunne: I withdraw that, Mr Speaker.

MR SPEAKER: Members, I have just taken some advice from the clerk in relation to the question that the member be no longer be heard. That motion ought to have been dealt with by leave and it was not. Therefore, it is out of order. The question before the house now is that the question be now put.

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