Page 174 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 14 December 2016

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I think I have to say that I am not supporting Mr Barr’s amendment. I would be very happy to see an amalgamation of Mr Barr’s amendment and Mr Coe’s motion. I cannot see the purpose in overwriting it all by something else. I think that the statement needs to be clearly made that the Assembly feels that there have been problems with the LDA—the Auditor-General’s report makes it clear that there have been problems—and that the Assembly is very concerned. We are also very concerned because the questions we ask on this are simply not being answered.

Question put:

That the amendment be agreed to.

The Assembly voted—

Ayes 9

Noes 9

Ms Berry

Ms Orr

Mr Coe

Ms Le Couteur

Ms Burch

Mr Pettersson

Mr Doszpot

Ms Lee

Ms Cheyne

Mr Ramsay

Mr Hanson

Mr Milligan

Ms Cody

Ms Stephen-Smith

Mrs Jones

Mr Parton

Mr Gentleman

Mrs Kikkert

Question resolved in the negative, in accordance with standing order 162.

MR COE (Yerrabi—Leader of the Opposition) (4.18): To conclude debate on this motion, I welcome the Chief Minister’s and Ms Le Couteur’s contributions. I am, however, disappointed that the Chief Minister somehow found the motion on the notice paper objectionable. That, in part, goes to the very issues that the LDA has highlighted, the fact that there is a culture in this government that does not support transparency, a culture that does not support probity. That is why we had a situation whereby the Auditor-General said there was a lack of transparency, a lack of accountability, a lack of rigor in processes, and major issues around integrity and probity at the LDA, and how we saw an FOI doctored before it was provided to the opposition, all in the Chief Minister’s agency.

It is pretty outrageous that the opposition puts in a freedom of information request, the government does not like the information it was going to provide, and then doctors it and gives it to the opposition and does not tell us. We only find out when the Auditor-General exposes it on 30 September. In actual fact, it was many months, if not a year, later that we found out. In actual fact, the opposition still has not had that freedom of information request complied with. We still have not had the original document provided. This government is still left wanting when it comes to providing this document.

Mr Barr: There is a one-word difference.

MR COE: Mr Barr says there is only one word different. If only one word was different, I do not think the AFP would be investigating it right now. It is a very

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