Page 3887 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 25 August 2010
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MR STANHOPE: The point was: am I concerned about advice that I have received? I have to say that when members in this place put up proposals as dumb as Mr Hanson’s proposal in relation to—
Mr Hanson: Warn him, Mr Speaker—
MR SPEAKER: Chief Minister—
Mr Hanson: He is ignoring your ruling.
MR SPEAKER: I think it is clear, Chief Minister.
MR STANHOPE: You are splitting straws here. We have a wonderfully professional public service. I am fully supportive of them. Of course, there are always instances where each of us could do better than we do. There would be nobody in this place that would dare stand and suggest otherwise. Perhaps there are—let us not be too generous here. I support our public service. They are hardworking and they are professional. They do not deserve this sort of snide undermining, which we are now seeing from the Liberal Party, in relation to the pursuit of their professional duties. Here we have already the start of a campaign by the Liberal Party in relation to this particular issue.
It cannot wait for the outcome of the inquiry.
MR SPEAKER: Thank you, Chief Minister.
Mr Stanhope: It cannot wait to see what the truth of the matter is.
MR SPEAKER: Chief Minister—
Mr Stanhope: Here we are, damning the reputations of hardworking, professional public servants.
MR SPEAKER: Chief Minister, sit down.
Mr Hanson: He is ignoring you repeatedly, Mr Speaker. Aren’t you going to warn him?
MR SPEAKER: Chief Minister, I really do not expect to have to ask you repeatedly, when your time has expired, to sit down. Mr Seselja?
MR SESELJA: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Chief Minister, have there been any concerns brought to you about the workload of public servants and whether this is putting undue pressure on some areas of your portfolios?
MR STANHOPE: I do, of course, from time to time, as every minister would, receive representations or have conversations with chief executives and senior executives in relation to the workload implications of particular initiatives that government pursues. I do not think there would be a single budget initiative that would be agreed or a policy initiative where, of course, there is not an immediate
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