Page 708 - Week 02 - Thursday, 10 March 2011
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Question so resolved in the negative.
MR CORBELL (Molonglo—Attorney-General, Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Water, Minister for Energy and Minister for Police and Emergency Services) (10.45), by leave: I move:
(1) Omit paragraph (3).
(2) In paragraph (5), omit “21 June”, substitute “14 June”.
As I previously indicated, the government is proposing two minor amendments. I noted Ms Bresnan’s comments that she believes the chair should be a non-government member. As the motion is currently worded, it specifies an opposition member. So I am not too sure whether that means that the Greens will be supporting an opposition member as chair or whether they have another amendment. Ms Bresnan is foreshadowing she has an amendment, I think, to my amendment; so I am pleased that is being dealt with.
The substantive issue here, I think, and the one that the Assembly should pay most time to is the second part of my amendment that deals with the reporting date of the committee. As the Treasurer has indicated, it would be desirable for the government to present its response to the estimates committee report at the commencement of the sitting fortnight in June, at which the budget will be considered. The government is not seeking an extra week to prepare its response. Instead we are seeking to have a response for the Assembly at the commencement of the sitting fortnight so that the Assembly can spend more time on the budget debate.
Instead of trying to do it all in two days, we could potentially do it over it three or even four days during that sitting fortnight. And that, I would have thought, would accord with the opposition’s view that there should be greater scrutiny and consideration of the appropriation bills in the budget debate. So that is why the government is suggesting it and I look forward, accordingly, to the Liberal Party’s support for this approach.
Of course it is unfortunate that we hear some fairly despicable comments from Mr Hanson during this debate. To accuse one of my colleagues of watching television is just beyond the pale. The obvious reference, of course, is to Ms Porter who, as members would be aware, has just undertaken—
Mr Hanson: It was not Ms Porter, mate.
MR SPEAKER: Mr Hanson, you can speak in a moment. Mr Corbell has the floor.
MR CORBELL: There we go. I think they do protest too much. It was quite clear what Mr Hanson was saying, and it was a grubby comment. It was a grubby comment from an increasingly grubby shadow minister in this place.
The amendment before the Assembly is about making sure that there is sufficient time during the June sittings to permit the Assembly to give full consideration to the
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