Page 1064 - Week 03 - Thursday, 26 February 2009
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in the Westminster system the minister is responsible for the decisions and the actions of his department.
The issue with those mistakes is that the determination was illegal, that the Attorney-General was the man who made the decision and that he carries responsibility for his department. There is an inference that, by slipping this through with a number of other issues, the minister is failing to take responsibility for and be accountable for his actions, which have demonstrably been shown to be illegal and have been a mistake.
I am disappointed the minister is not taking this opportunity to separate the issues and to take responsibility for his actions. It appears that he is trying to slip it through in an omnibus bill along with a number of other issues and that there is a blame game occurring where briefs are being passed around to show that it was not his fault but the fault of his department. The minister needs to step up and demonstrate that he is in charge, that he is responsible, that he is paying attention to the detail, and that he is not just, essentially, a spectator within his department but that he is engaged in the process.
This is a view that I am starting to take not only of the Attorney-General but other ministers in this government—that is, they are spectators to what is occurring in their departments and that they get engaged only when there is a media opportunity or when there is an election opportunity. But when it comes to the hard work, the hard graft, that goes on through the important process of developing legislation and the less attractive bits and the less dramatic issues, they are not paying attention and they are letting things like this slip through.
Mr Corbell: How long have you been here, Mr Hanson? Five minutes?
MR HANSON: Long enough to form that view.
Mr Corbell: You would have no idea, Mr Hanson.
MR HANSON: Well, clearly you have no idea about lots of issues going on in your department, Attorney-General, as is evidenced by the debate today on issues raised—
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Mr Hanson, address your remarks to the chair, please.
MR HANSON: My apologies, Madam Deputy Speaker. I was addressing interjections made by the minister.
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Well, ignore the interjections.
MR HANSON: Regardless, I will continue—
Mr Corbell: Like I said, how long you have been here, Mr Hanson?
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Mr Corbell, Mr Hanson has the floor. Continue, Mr Hanson.
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