Page 2370 - Week 06 - Thursday, 23 June 2011
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here, it would appear, that has actually exacerbated that problem. The prisoners are emboldened. They know that they can make a complaint against the person who was actually leading the jail and, according to Mr Hamburger, was resolving these problems and the government will give him the flick before any investigation commences.
What the government wants to do, and what the Greens want to do, by their amendment, is bury it as deeply as possible. Ms Bresnan said there were no protections under the inquiries process. That is ridiculous. If Mr Buchanan did choose to come forward and give evidence, he would do so under privilege, just as we do in this place. And there are significant protections for him to do that. So to say that there are no protections for him is ridiculous.
What skills this committee would have is a point that was raised by Ms Bresnan. “Does the committee have the requisite skills for this specific matter?” That is a ridiculous argument. Why have committees at all if you have got to have specific skills in that area before you can conduct an inquiry?
Ms Bresnan interjecting—
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Order!
MR HANSON: Ms Bresnan is the chair of the education committee.
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Mr Hanson, I do not need your help, thank you very much. Stop the clock. Ms Bresnan, I have been patient. No more, please. Otherwise I will be forced into a corner I do not want to go into. Mr Hanson.
MR HANSON: Thank you. Does Ms Bresnan have an education qualification that I am unaware of? We could say that about all members of all committees. Of course that is ridiculous. This process that is followed in the Assembly committees is one that has stood up to extensive rigour in testing times.
Mrs Dunne, who is the chair of the JACS committee, has conducted an extensive number of inquiries, including an inquiry into the Alexander Maconochie Centre. I think there are few people in this place that would understand the workings of the committee process and the Alexander Maconochie Centre better than the chair of the JACS committee. So to say that there are not the requisite skills within that committee to deal with this matter—a very experienced politician, such as Mrs Dunne, a very experienced chair of a committee, someone who has conducted inquiries into this matter and numerous others in the course of her duties—is ridiculous.
So what we are seeing here in this amendment from the Greens is a desire to bury this matter. And in doing so they are going to leave a tainted mark against Mr Buchanan, because that is the way this matter will stand. If they are concerned about any damage to Mr Buchanan, then that is going to be far more damaging than giving this man the ability to speak publicly, as he wants to, to put his case forward and say: “I am proud of my actions. I am proud of my service. I stand by what I did.” I do not make judgement on that but that is what he wants. And the Greens, by their amendment to my motion, are going to deny him the ability to do that.
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