Page 5944 - Week 14 - Thursday, 8 December 2011
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government and supported by the opposition is that this Assembly have nine sitting weeks in 2012 in the lead-up to the election. In previous election years such as 2001, 2004 and 2008, the Assembly had 10 sitting weeks. The Greens do not believe that the number of sitting weeks should be decreased from what has been the norm in previous Assemblies.
The Greens have been consistent in maintaining a commitment to the norm for the number of sitting weeks the Assembly has per annum. It is interesting to note that the Liberals have shifted from wanting to have more than the norm in one year to wanting below the norm in another year—a year that just happens to be an election year. Across this Assembly, Labor have consistently put forward a proposition for below the norm in terms of the number of sitting weeks. In December 2008, when the government proposed a sitting pattern that was below the annual average of 14 weeks, the Greens successfully argued that the norm of 14 weeks per annum be supported. The Liberals proposed more than the average of 14 weeks—16 sitting weeks per annum. Mr Hanson said:
… if this is the sitting pattern that is going to be adopted by this Assembly, then it is the government that is looking to take extended holidays, certainly not the opposition, which is calling for more sitting weeks.
In December 2009, when the government proposed a sitting pattern that was less than 14 weeks, the Greens again argued to maintain 14 and the Liberals proposed more. Mrs Dunne said:
The Canberra Liberals firmly believe that we should be having more sitting days.
In December 2010 the Liberals proposed 16 sitting weeks rather than the normal 14 sitting weeks for 2011. Again Mrs Dunne continued the theme. She said that the proposal was not sufficient and we needed more time to debate the issue.
I urge both Labor and the Liberals to reconsider their position about the number of sitting weeks we have next year and support the Greens’ amendment for 10 sitting weeks, which was the number of sitting weeks in 2001, 2004 and 2008, all election years.
MRS DUNNE (Ginninderra) (12.20): The Canberra Liberals will not be supporting Ms Bresnan’s amendment. We did consider the sitting pattern and the possibility of extra sitting weeks. I compliment the minister for taking the suggestion of the Canberra Liberals to make the February sittings back-to-back sittings rather than one on and one off. I thank him for that consideration and that courtesy.
We did consider the possibility of more sitting weeks, because the period between June and August is a very long period. But given that the government—this is their call, and we have been encouraging of this over a number of years—have a budget after the commonwealth budget comes down, and therefore the budget sitting week will be 5 June, it is quite impractical to find another place for a sitting week. On balance, we have decided that the model put forward, which has been enhanced by the Liberal Party’s input, is an appropriate one for an election year.
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