Page 1030 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 6 May 2014
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MADAM SPEAKER: I am not quite sure. Are you referring to standing order 202(d) Mr Coe? I notice that Mr Corbell is referring to minutes. They are not minutes that I have seen. And they weren’t attached to the tabled statement. I do not know whether they have been circulated in any form.
Mr Coe: Further to that, Madam Speaker, I believe they are not published online so therefore I would be very curious as to how the minister, who is not a member of the committee, did in fact get a copy of these minutes.
MADAM SPEAKER: I don’t think that standing order 202 applies. You may, Mr Coe, wish to perhaps pursue the matter of how Mr Corbell can be quoting from minutes which, according to you, haven’t been circulated yet. I think that is probably a matter you might need to take up in the committee. I will consider the matter further because I just need to take a bit more advice. But I think there is no point of order under standing order—sorry, can we just stop the clock; I just realised—there is no point of order under standing order 202(d). You do raise some issues which I think require some other consideration but it probably doesn’t need to hold up the debate.
MR CORBELL: Thank you, Madam Speaker. Why is it that the Liberal Party continue to obstruct the business of this place in the manner that they do? Why is it that there is no capacity for this committee to report on such an important bill? Why is it? Quite clearly, it relates to the obstruction on the part of those members opposite. They are deliberately obstructing and wrecking the business of this Assembly, which is seeking to conduct a legitimate inquiry of significant interest to the broader community.
Madam Speaker, I again draw to the Assembly’s attention the fact that you yourself have made comments in this place about the desirability of members working together to ensure that the committees are able to report and that submissions made by members of the community are able to be properly reflected in reports that are presented in this place from our committees. So it is a very disappointing outcome, Madam Speaker—a very disappointing outcome.
I foreshadow that at the conclusion of this debate I will be seeking leave to move a motion for the chair’s draft report of the Standing Committee on Planning, Environment and Territory and Municipal Services’ inquiry into this bill to be tabled so that we can at least see what it is that those opposite found so objectionable that they were unwilling to agree to the chair’s report. I think that would certainly cast some light on these circumstances.
It really is incumbent now on those opposite to explain why it is that they continue to obstruct the business of this place and its committees for nothing more than short-term tactical or political considerations. It is certainly not in the interests of this Assembly or the broader community that inquiries such as this are not able to present a formal report. The government nevertheless will proceed with its bill, having regard to the submissions made. If we are able to obtain a copy of the chair’s draft we will certainly seek to take that into account as well.
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