Page 912 - Week 03 - Thursday, 19 March 2015
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So pressing has been the committee’s desire to take up this questioning that the committee has only recently and welcomely confirmed the second three-hour session earlier this week. I thank the new committee chair, Ms Fitzharris, for facilitating that, because I am very willing to appear before that committee with my officials and answer any questions that members of the opposition and indeed members more generally have about this very important project.
So there is already a standing referral to the Standing Committee on Planning, Environment and Territory and Municipal Services; therefore there is already an opportunity for that committee to call for submissions and hear evidence from community members who have an interest in and want to have a say about this project. That opportunity already exists.
The question is: why hasn’t it been taken up? Why hasn’t Mr Coe suggested to the committee that they call for submissions? Why hasn’t he said, “Let’s have public hearings and invite other stakeholders to have their say on this project”?
Mr Coe: How do you know I haven’t?
MR CORBELL: Why hasn’t he done it?
Mr Coe: How do you know I haven’t?
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Mr Coe!
MR CORBELL: Well, it has not happened. Equally, in the first hearing that was held, on 27 August last year, Mr Coe ran out of questions. He had three hours but we were struggling to get to the end of three hours, and it was the Labor members of the committee that kept the questioning going when Mr Coe apparently ran out of interest, questions or ideas. So his rhetoric does not match his actions.
The bottom line is that there is a dedicated referral already in place for the Standing Committee on Planning, Environment and Territory and Municipal Services to have this agency, and me as the responsible portfolio minister, appear on two dedicated occasions for three hours on each occasion.
That is, of course, in addition to the other opportunities for scrutiny that are normally available for this project. It is in addition to the dedicated hearings for the annual report of the Capital Metro Agency, which was recently concluded by the same standing committee. It is in addition to the estimates committee process, where the expenditure of the Capital Metro Agency and all related matters are available to be scrutinised at length by the Select Committee on Estimates. Of course it is in addition to every question time we have in this place, where questions can be asked of me as the capital metro minister about any aspect of the project. And it is, of course, in addition to the ability to put questions on notice in this place.
If this was such a pressing and important issue, I note that I did not get any questions from Mr Coe yesterday in question time on capital metro. I do not think I got any on
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