Page 3769 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 19 September 2018
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and Minister for Vocational Education and Skills): Under standing order 46, I seek leave to make a personal statement on comments made by Mr Hanson where I believe I was misrepresented.
Mrs Dunne: You have to use standing order 47, not 46.
MS FITZHARRIS: To make a personal explanation—
MADAM ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Ms Cody): I thought you said standing order 47.
Mrs Dunne: Standing order 46 happens after the debate.
MS FITZHARRIS: Under standing order 47, I seek leave to be heard again to explain where some material part of another member’s speech has been misquoted or misunderstood.
Leave granted.
MS FITZHARRIS: Thank you for your guidance, Mrs Dunne and Madam Assistant Speaker. In the debate, a very important debate, Mr Hanson, I believe, claimed that I was proposing a private and closed-door hearing. I reiterate the comments I made yesterday and in my speech just now, and comments that I have made publicly, that all the matters raised I am taking under very serious consideration: those outlined by the opposition and those summarised by Minister Rattenbury. These matters remain under consideration by me in the most serious manner. I will make further announcements in the coming days on the final terms of reference for this independent review, based on the many pieces of advice that I am receiving.
I have made commitments that it will be independent, that people will be protected and that a final report will be made public, and I have not ruled out public hearings. Each of these things I have said publicly and I will say again. I have not refused to answer questions. I am taking all of these matters under the most serious consideration. I reject any assertion that I do not know the answers to these questions. I am weighing these up. And I reiterate that I will make further announcements in the coming days about the terms of reference and the independent panel to conduct this very important review.
MRS DUNNE (Ginninderra) (11.36): This is an important issue, and if you listen to the words there is pretty much unity. Mr Rattenbury has said—and I wholeheartedly agree—that this review, whatever it is called, must be independent, conducted with integrity and have a positive outcome. I have used the term, in discussing this around the place with people, that it needs to be to some extent like truth and reconciliation, but you cannot do that necessarily behind closed doors. It is encouraging that the minister has now not ruled out the possibility of public hearings.
It is possible that we may get to a stage where we have a structure not unlike the royal commission into institutional child abuse, where much of the evidence was taken in private, where people’s identities were protected and then the issues were exposed in public hearings, essentially as case studies in particular areas.
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