Page 1090 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 6 May 2014
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As I said, this is not a trivial matter. This is a very significant piece of legislation. The impact of this legislation on the community will be massive and it will be enduring. The projects that will be fast-tracked under this are going to change the nature, the character, of this city. In the committee that was set up, every single person that appeared, that put in a submission, said, “This is not being done right.” They were concerned about this committee and the way it is acting.
What we now know is that there were a number of conversations. There was something happening. Something happened whereby the minister got privileged information. He had the information about what went on—detailed workings of that committee. There was a communication between the minister and that committee. That is a complete breach.
The minister and those opposite have the audacity to say that they have concerns about the way the members of the opposition behave in committees—when we now know that what happens in committees is that members of the government are giving ministers the lowdown on what is going on in committees. That is disgusting. That is disgraceful. We will not let that go.
Madam Speaker, this minister has come into this place today and said he got a review of the minutes. When that was shown to be a problem for him, he said that was not true. He said he got them on line. That was shown not to be true. He said that Mr Gentleman said it in his tabling speech. That was shown not to be true. And then, finally, the Chief Minister stood up and said it happened somewhere else. Mr Rattenbury has then accepted that as the answer and is excusing the minister for having come to this place and misled us.
This information will be going to those people that submitted to the committee. We will broadcast this—that what has been going on is that the members of the committee, the Labor members of the committee, have been peddling the information to the government about what is going on in that committee. If you think that people in this community are concerned about this legislation, if you think members of the community are concerned about this committee and if you think they are concerned about this minister and his behaviour and his conduct, wait until they get the truth about what this minister did, what the Labor members of this committee did and how he came in here and, with his mate Mr Rattenbury—who wants this rammed through too, who knows damn well what has gone on in this place today—found excuses that are simply not plausible.
They are more about maintaining support—Mr Rattenbury, Mr Corbell—for this piece of shonky legislation, this dodgy committee process. What we have seen is appalling behaviour by the minister; the Chief Minister, who supports him; and Mr Rattenbury. Shame on you, Mr Rattenbury, for what you have done today.
Amendment negatived.
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