Page 2539 - Week 06 - Thursday, 23 June 2011
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MRS DUNNE (Ginninderra) (11.56): This is a very disappointing turn of events and it is worth noting that, by the minister’s own admission, there was a month’s delay between the passage of the resolution in the Assembly in December and the minister writing and commissioning this inquiry. From my perusal of documents that I obtained under the Freedom of Information Act—and it is already on the public record—I cannot now remember whether it was 21 or 31 January before the inquiry formally began. So there was a considerable delay of almost six or seven weeks, and maybe almost two months, between the resolution of the Assembly and the formal establishment of the inquiry. Now the Assembly and the community are being asked to wait.
I would also seek some guidance from you, Mr Speaker, about the status of the report between the time when it is presented to members of the Assembly and when it is tabled in this place in terms of privilege, whether the contents of the report can be promulgated. These are issues which were not addressed by the attorney in his comments and I am unclear as to the precise nature of the status of the report, if it is provided out of session in this way. I think that this is a matter that the attorney might address. I would be happy, if there is not a ready answer for that this evening, that we come back next week and finalise the matter.
MR SPEAKER: Mrs Dunne, I obviously do not have an answer for you straight away. I will look into it and I will perhaps have some informal discussions and report back to the Assembly next week as well.
MRS DUNNE: On that basis, I will move that the debate be adjourned.
MR SPEAKER: We cannot have a debate on this.
MRS DUNNE: We cannot debate it?
MR SPEAKER: You have spoken, Mrs Dunne. You cannot adjourn the debate.
MRS DUNNE: I seek leave to—
MR SPEAKER: No.
MRS DUNNE: No-one can answer the question: what is the status of the report? Does it attract privilege? I do not think it does. What can members do with the report, after they have read it, between 31 July when members would receive it and when it is tabled in the Assembly? The attorney did not address these issues. It is unclear what the status of the report would be. The attorney has not discussed this with anyone and he is unprepared.
MR CORBELL (Molonglo—Attorney-General, Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development, Minister for Territory and Municipal Services and Minister for Police and Emergency Services), by leave: First of all, in relation to the matter Mrs Dunne alluded to in relation to wanting to adjourn debate, if the debate is adjourned, if this matter is not concluded today one way or the other, the commission
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