Page 2759 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 6 June 2012
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What we have got is the most monumental backflip from the Greens in the period of the last 12 months. What we see is their intent—their in-principle support—just disappear. It was almost embarrassing to hear the speech that Ms Hunter gave, saying, “Well, we’ve addressed this.” You have not addressed the period. The period 22 June to 30 June this year has not been addressed by what you have done. You have left a gaping hole, and somebody will drive a truck through that hole. We already know that it is a truck about $5.2 million big that you have allowed to escape the system.
Don’t stand here and say “we fought long and hard to get a cap in place and electoral funding with integrity” when you just let them off the hook in this manner. That is all you are doing. You are letting your Greens-Labor alliance colleagues off the hook because that suits you. To simply say that the horse has bolted is ridiculous. The horse had not bolted. The transaction had not occurred. The thing that you agreed to in principle did occur, and you have sold your principles down the river, as so often happens.
For those who were not there at the breakfast this morning, let me say that I challenged Ms Hunter. She was lamenting that there were going to be job cuts to the public service. I said: “Perhaps you should talk to your Labor colleagues. Perhaps you should talk to your federal colleagues and not pass the federal budget.” We had the curious instance of the Chief Minister running interference for the convenor of the Greens in a public forum. I have to tell you that the feedback I have had from the breakfast this morning about that little incident has opened the eyes of a lot of people to how the Greens-Labor alliance operates in this place.
But let us get to Mr Corbell. Mr Corbell had this list on what had occurred since I tabled my bill. The only—
Members interjecting—
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Mr Hargreaves): Order, members! Mr Smyth has the floor.
MR SMYTH: Mr Corbell forgot the transfer of $5.2 million through cash and property to the Labor Party. That is what he forgot. The little thing on the list that sort of completed the list was the big item that the Labor Party and the Greens do not want to talk about—$5.2 million worth of breaching what was the intent of my bill, which the Greens agreed to in principle. Mr Corbell forgot that.
We all understand why Mr Corbell forgot that. He said that we should have had a cognate debate. I will choose the timing of my bills, thank you, and when they are discussed—not you, Mr Corbell. He then tried to make this case about how it was completely inappropriate. What is completely inappropriate is that everything I predicted came true. I said there was talk that a party was going to transfer the funds, and they did. There was talk that it would happen before the reports were delivered, and it did. And there was talk that this would occur before the act was adjusted, and it happened. Everything I said happened.
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