Page 248 - Week 01 - Thursday, 27 February 2014
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Dr Bourke: Point of order.
MADAM SPEAKER: On the point of order, Dr Bourke.
Dr Bourke: The word “nobbled” implies “corrupted” and a range of other criminal activities, which I think is inappropriate and unparliamentary.
MADAM SPEAKER: I do not uphold the point of order.
MR WALL: As I was saying, Madam Speaker, so long as the committees are nobbled, deadlocked or whichever word would appease the members opposite, we are going to have a structure that does not serve the community well, does not serve us as members in this place well and most certainly does not do justice to those that continue to give up their time and to contribute.
On the issue of regional development, I think the Chief Minister has set up this select committee purely to give herself the opportunity to get a pat on the back from her Labor colleagues to say that the job has been done well, and has been done well for the last 11 years—which we all know, in reality, is a furphy. This is something that has been left to deteriorate. Cross-government relations could be considerably stronger than they have been over the past decade. That is a point that the Canberra Liberals held strongly and it is an area in which the Canberra Liberals had a strong history of carrying things out well whilst we were in government.
On that issue, there is obviously a difference of opinion. For that reason, along party lines, this report was not able to be agreed on. In the almost 12 months since the committee was established, the number of instances in which the committee met does not quite do justice to the significance of the issue that we were called to review and to look into. I think that is something for future review.
Members opposite want to continue to blame us and the Canberra Liberals for breaking down the committee system. They need to look in the mirror and take a look at how they structure committees and how, in reality, they expect that to play out on a day-to-day basis. The sooner partisan politics is taken out of committee numbers and who sits on them, the sooner the committee system will return to its proper functioning, scrutinising element, putting forward some creative, collaborative ideas so that the community may be represented better.
MS PORTER (Ginninderra) (10.13): Madam Speaker, it is very disappointing indeed that the select committee finds that it cannot present any other report except a special report, and therefore it cannot present recommendations. I am sure that you are aware that many submissions were received and many witnesses came before the committee, as has been mentioned by the chair of the committee, Ms Berry. As Ms Berry also mentioned, this included a very productive hearing that we held here in this chamber with all the councils of the region.
Obviously all those who submitted and appeared before us contributed and committed considerable time and effort in doing so. They provided much insight and useful
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