Page 1081 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 6 May 2014
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Some of the allegations that have been levelled against Mr Corbell this afternoon would not happen outside this chamber. The opposition members know why. There is absolutely no way that the word “corruption”, which has been used in this debate, would be able to be used outside this chamber. A true test of that would be if all three of you went outside and read your speeches from beginning to end—the speeches that you have just given in this place—and stood by them. You have absolutely no evidence to support the allegations that you have extrapolated from the comments that Mr Corbell made this morning.
What you would have us believe today—and, seriously, you guys could consider an occupational change to writing fantasy novels—is that, based on the comment that Mr Corbell made this morning, he and Mr Gentleman somehow, in a bizarre series of events, concocted some corrupt process to push through the project facilitation bill.
Mr Coe interjecting—
MADAM SPEAKER: Mr Coe!
MS GALLAGHER: That is at the heart of the allegations that you have put in this place without any evidence to support that.
Mr Coe interjecting—
MADAM SPEAKER: Mr Coe!
MS GALLAGHER: I will let everybody in on the fact that our party room discusses how dysfunctional the committee system is in this place. It has discussed it a number of times. Indeed, I have discussed it with Mr Hanson and I have discussed it with the Speaker.
Mr Hanson interjecting—
MADAM SPEAKER: Mr Hanson, you are on a warning.
MS GALLAGHER: We have met as a group on a number of occasions, not specifically on this issue, but it has come up, about how dysfunctional the committee system is. Mr Hanson, you and I have had that discussion. You have given me information that you are privy to because someone has talked to you about what happens in a committee. The Speaker and I met to discuss it in a very general way, about what to do to lift our standing and resolve some of the issues in the committees.
We have had standing order changes specifically to address the dysfunction in the committees. There have been debates in this place. There have been discussions around our party room table about whether or not to support standing orders, whether they facilitate the actual delivery of a report. Let us not forget that we are at the moment on issues that the opposition choose to make fun with or make hay with. We are unable to deliver reports on certain committees. On others, it seems to work fine.
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