Page 3673 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 26 August 2008
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Domestic Violence and Protection Orders Bill and the Guardianship and Management of Property Amendment Bill and the Corrections Management Amendment Bill. Those on this side of the house voted against that reordering because we know that the Domestic Violence and Protection Orders Bill is important. We said, “Let’s do it, and do it first.”
Let us look at the order of business. Perhaps Mr Corbell forgot, as he so often does, that he orders this. He is in charge of the paper. He is the manager of government business. He puts forward the order. He establishes on behalf of the government the order in which these things will be debated. It is his order and he seeks to change it. His management is cast into doubt by his manoeuvres this evening.
Let us face it. The government simply do not want any more debate on the report on the ACT Fire and Emergency Services arrangements. Why not? It is because they do not want to face the truth. The minister is very good at rewriting. He said that the usual practice in this place is to let just the committee members speak. That is not true.
Mr Seselja: What happened this morning?
MR SMYTH: What happened this morning in the debate about the closure of the Wanniassa health clinic? There were almost 10 speakers. It was fine this morning to have the usual practice, which is that any member who wants to speak to the issue can speak in the debate. But when it does not suit Mr Corbell he rewrites the usual practice. That is the style of this manager of government business. He just picks and chooses.
Curiously, he jumped the order this afternoon so that we could go to the Crimes Legislation Amendment Bill. Why? It was because they did not want to debate the bushfire report before dinner. Then it came back. Mr Stefaniak was interrupted and he lost his flow of thought. You have to wonder whether it was a deliberate ploy to interrupt Mr Stefaniak in that way. Then it was put off so that we could go to something else. We simply wish to bring it back and have the proper debate and give it the due regard that it should have and that any item on the program should have.
The problem for the government is that people now know them for what they are. The Chief Minister bolts as soon as anything containing the word “bushfire” is brought on in this place. He cannot actually come down here and defend the decisions of his government.
What we saw this afternoon was appalling. What we see now is even more appalling. The minister simply rewrites the practice of the house. This is an important issue. There are a lot of people who want to know why the Chief Minister did not appear. Why did he not have the courage, as he said he would? He said: “Blame me. I will take full responsibility for this.” He has spent the last four years ducking and weaving and avoiding responsibility of any kind. It is curious to note, Mr Speaker, that every other senior official who was on duty that day has gone, has been relieved of the service of the people of the ACT. The only one left is the Chief Minister, but he refuses to answer any questions.
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