Page 249 - Week 01 - Thursday, 27 February 2014
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information, some of which Ms Berry has referred to. I would encourage everybody in this place to read the submissions in great detail. You have heard from the chair the long list of these witnesses and submissions.
Unfortunately, the committee finds itself with no substantive report now, no recommendations to the government. This was not for want of time. As is the usual form, the chair of the committee presented to the committee her comprehensive chair’s report. It paid respect to those who had submitted and appeared before us. However, the two Liberal members of the committee did not wish to deal with this report and did not allow it to be considered. Mr Smyth tabled a report of his own, which was clearly political in nature. Ms Berry and I did not wish to consider this report by itself.
I moved that we consider the two reports together. After seeking advice and being assured that it was within the powers of the committee to do that, the committee voted on the question that both reports be considered together to see what we could agree with from both reports. Ms Berry and I were keen to do that, but the opposition knocked it on the head and did not even see their way clear to consider both reports together so that we could see what we did agree on.
Mr Smyth interjecting—
MADAM SPEAKER: Order! You will have your opportunity to speak, Mr Smyth.
MS PORTER: We were unable to proceed from that point and so we had to do what we have done today.
It is very disappointing. Rather than us, the Labor members of the committee, being unwilling to deal with this, to go forward with a report, it is the two Liberal members of this committee who refused to cooperate even when they were given a really fantastic opportunity to do this with both reports being considered together. We would have been able to find a way forward, I am sure, because we are mature individuals—at least I thought so—and I would have thought that we all want the best for the ACT government, the city of the ACT, the city-state of the ACT and the region. We all want more cooperation across our borders. We all want to work together to promote this great city and this great region, to give us opportunity to maximise the benefits of working together. There are many benefits, as we heard throughout our hearings and from reading the submissions. There are a lot of benefits. We all know that.
I would like to congratulate Ms Berry on her chairmanship of the committee. I would like to very much thank Brian for his hard work. Unfortunately, it cannot be reflected by our presenting a substantive report; however, I would like to thank him very much. And obviously I thank the members of the committee, all the members of the committee, for attending the meetings and for asking insightful questions as we went along. However, it just seemed as though they were going through the motions, because in the end they did not really want to deal with the substantive chair’s report. I am really very disappointed.
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