Page 5608 - Week 15 - Wednesday, 9 December 2009

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Treasurer Quinlan in a package of amendments he acknowledged the legacy in the proposals that were developed by the Liberal Party in 2002. Therefore, these proposals have had strong bipartisan support. At least there was bipartisan support when reason prevailed.

The way in which Ms Gallagher has dealt with her response to the global economic and financial crisis demonstrates the inability of Ms Gallagher to provide any form of leadership on these matters. Clearly, she could not separate the exceptional events from the normal reporting requirements of government. Our community required an insight into that exceptional event, but Ms Gallagher was unable to understand that. The result was an approach which confused a report on the exceptional event with that which should have been a regular report on normal matters.

The extraordinary position adopted by the Greens is, I think, quite disgraceful. This is the party that put in place an agreement with the Labor Party to enable the Labor Party to form a minority government. A cornerstone of this agreement was to ensure sound accountability in government. In this regard, the Greens are now simply financial patsies for the government.

I need to emphasise some matters that you, Madam Assistant Speaker, will clearly understand, even if your leader does not. When we consider financial reporting by companies, are companies able to say, “This year I think we’ll report on our results for 11 months, rather than 12 months”? Of course not. That is a ridiculous notion and we all know it. Companies are required to establish what their reporting year will be. They are bound by that decision and they prepare annual, half yearly and even quarterly reports as appropriate. There is no fiddling with the length of year—half a year or a quarter, as this Treasurer has done. Ms Gallagher has redefined what half a year is and now the Greens are complicit in that action.

There is a further issue with Ms Gallagher’s approach to what a half year is. There is a complete lack of compatibility of her midyear reports with those which have been prepared using different periods. I know you understand that, Madam Assistant Speaker, and it is complete nonsense. My intention in bringing this measure forward was to clarify the clear intention of the former Treasurer, Ted Quinlan. Unfortunately, I had no idea that the current Labor ministers had such antipathy towards the former Treasurer and his proposal to enhance accountability. I commend the proposal to the Assembly.

Question put:

That this bill be agreed to in principle.

The Assembly voted—

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