Page 1731 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 1 April 2009
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MS GALLAGHER: Here is the surprise. However, in discussions we have been having through the day and particularly with the Greens around ensuring that we do meet members’ needs on budget day, I can provide the following commitments to members of the Assembly.
The government will arrange for Treasury officials to provide a technical briefing on the budget and a copy of all relevant budget papers and a CD-ROM for members and a nominated staff member during the lunch break and before question time. I will negotiate with members out of session on what a suitable time that is for the majority of members to attend that briefing. We will also extend an invitation to MLAs and/or their nominated staff members to attend the other briefings that are being arranged on that day if they would like to attend.
Mr Seselja: The lockup—does that include the lockup?
MS GALLAGHER: We had not considered the lockup. I had not lent my mind to that, I must say, and I am prepared to give it some thought over the next couple of weeks. I do not know that we have ever had a staffers’ lockup here. I do not know if Mr Smyth can recall whether that has happened. I am prepared, certainly, to provide a special locked room for opposition members and—
Mr Seselja: It does happen federally.
MS GALLAGHER: I understand that it happens federally and that goes to, I think, the criticism that Mr Smyth had about their having a full day of access. That full day, though, is spent in a lockup situation. When I read your motion today it was about providing members and their advisers with budget papers outside of a lockup situation well in advance of the budget being tabled.
They are the commitments that we give. I do want to ensure that we meet members’ needs on budget day in the provision of information. Of course, the estimates process is also well down the path now of being arranged. I think there are 72 hours of hearings in the draft schedule. And in relation to debate on the budget, we expect that there will be a long and lengthy debate as there has been every year.
Mr Smyth: So are you promising not to apply the gag?
MS GALLAGHER: When I reflect back on last year’s debate, and we did check this today, it did go for 18½ hours. I think that is pretty—
Mr Smyth: Who cares?
MS GALLAGHER: Well, I think in relation to arguments about gagging debate I do not know that you can argue that there has been a gag placed on the budget debate when it has gone for 18½ hours. Paragraph 5 of the motion states:
considers that each budget line should have at least one speaker from the government, the opposition and cross-benches …
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